Silver Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design · 2025
Brilliant Olive Glass Tableware
- A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: KJ studio
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 42,941
- Verification code 3A25FC44DC · Verify this award
About Brilliant Olive Glass Tableware
The design of the olive branch symbolizes enduring vitality as a representation of peace, wisdom, and prosperity. The leaves are arranged in alternating pairs along the branch, creating a spiraling pattern that signifies growth. Some leaf pairs resemble hearts, evoking warmth and peace. Gradient olives add a mystical touch, with the leaves and olives laid out like puzzle pieces. From the side, the overlapping leaves form a complex motif. When viewed from above and filled with a beverage, the inner leaf patterns reflect, creating a shimmering, lifelike design.
Keiji Ishikawa's Brilliant Olive Glass Tableware represents a distinguished contribution to the enduring tradition of decorative glass arts, wherein the ancient technique of overlay or cased glass receives fresh interpretation through contemporary sensibility while honoring centuries of craft heritage. The work demonstrates masterful command of the demanding cut-glass process, whereby colored glass is layered over clear crystal substrate and subsequently carved through to reveal the transparent foundation beneath, a technique requiring precision timing during the cutting phase and intimate understanding of material behavior at various thicknesses. The botanical vocabulary of olive branches winding diagonally across each vessel's surface evokes Mediterranean abundance and the symbolic associations of peace, prosperity, and hospitality that have accompanied olive imagery throughout visual culture since antiquity. The chromatic decision to present the identical form in contrasting warm and cool colorations suggests intentional dialogue between complementary energies, the deep red perhaps evoking warmth, celebration, and vitality while the saturated blue conveys depth, contemplation, and tranquility. Technical accomplishment manifests in the consistent depth and clarity of each incision, the smooth transition between carved and uncarved passages, and the preservation of structural integrity throughout the decorative intervention. The light-capturing properties of cut crystal transform these functional objects into kinetic sculptures responsive to ambient illumination, each slight movement generating new patterns of brilliance and shadow across the carved surfaces. One might consider how such objects transform the quotidian act of drinking into aesthetic experience, elevating domestic ritual through material refinement and visual pleasure.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The olive, a symbol of peace, wisdom, and prosperity, is elegantly crafted in Kiriko glass. The design features olive branches with pairs of leaves arranged alternately in a spiral pattern, evoking a sense of growth. Some leaves are heart-shaped, representing warmth and tranquility. Gradient-colored olives reflect humble intelligence. The leaves and fruits are arranged like jigsaw puzzle pieces, enhancing their lively appearance when light passes through. This creates a shimmering effect, resembling living olive leaves, even when viewed from above as a drink is poured.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The product dimensions are as follows: The sake glass is 60mm in diameter and 70mm in height in the main image. In optional image #1, the wine glass is 58mm in diameter and 150mm in height, and the sake cup is 60mm in diameter and 60mm in height. The top view of the sake cup is shown in optional image #2. In optional image #3, the rock glass is 77mm in diameter and 92mm in height. Finally, in optional image #4, the plate is 150mm in diameter and 33mm in height.
- Tags
- kiriko, cutglass, japaneseglassware, glassart
- Production Technology
- The double-layered glassware is carefully ground and polished by hand using Japanese Kiriko cut glass technology.
- Design Challenge
- Specially ordered wide-angle V-cut grinding wheels are introduced. Additionally, precisely applying wheels to the contact points with glass has been practiced and mastered.
- Project Duration
- The project started in August 2024 in Tokushima, Japan, and finished in January 2025.
- Operation Flow
- The wide-angle V-cut olive leaf pattern creates an intricate, mesmerizing design when viewed from the glass's side. The pattern on the reverse side overlaps with the front, evoking the mystery of life. As shown in optional image #2, when a drink is poured and viewed from the top, the inner olive leaf pattern reflects each other, resulting in a complex, shimmering design as if the olive leaves have come to life.
- Research
- Custom-cutting wheels for olive leaves have been implemented. Additionally, wide wheels express the fantastic gradient of olives, requiring precise adjustment of the contact point with the glass during cutting. Advanced techniques are essential in cases where the glass is dark and difficult to see.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the serene olive groves of Shodoshima, renowned for its olive production in Japan. Olive trees, revered as symbols of peace, wisdom, and prosperity, have been interwoven with human life from ancient times to the present. Striving to capture the enduring vitality and wisdom that nature embodies, the foundational concept of the design was meticulously crafted.
- Image Credits
- Video Credits:
The glass is rotated to show the changing scenes in a video to depict the intricate and sparkling pattern that seems to be imbued with life from the olive leaves above. - Patents
- The design is applying for design registration and will get copyright in registered designs in December 2025 in Japan.
Colors of Brilliant Olive Glass Tableware
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Japanese Kiriko Cut Glass Artistry
We create exquisite hand-cut glassware using traditional Japanese Kiriko techniques. Our collection includes wine glasses, sake cups, plates, and decorative pieces, each meticulously crafted to bring elegance to daily life. Winner of multiple international design awards.
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