Železný Brod Sklo (ZBS) Neodymium Glass Vase with Cut Motif c.1950s

This is an unusual example of a neodymium glass vase produced by Železný Brod Sklo (ZBS) in Czechoslovakia, dating to the mid-20th century.

The vase is made from thick lead crystal with a raised rim that has been polished flat. The body has a rounded shoulder, tapering in towards the base. It is cut with twelve (12) deep, rounded facets that narrow as they approach the base. The space between adjacent facets contains a long, fine vertical line, which has been roughly overcut with horizontal dashes. These dashes extend above the top of the vertical cut, onto the shoulder.

The base is polished flat and unmarked.

The vase appears pink under incandescent light (or sunlight) and blue under fluorescent light. This is due to the presence of neodymium oxide within the glass mixture. This type of glass is often referred to as Neodymium glass or ‘Alexandrite’, a name given to it by Moser.

I was fortunate enough to find an identical vase online with the original oval yellow and silver label that reads ‘ZBS MADE IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA’, which is where this attribution comes from. The style of the label is consistent with pieces produced in the 1950s and 1960s. 

It has a height of approximately 12.1cm, with a diameter across the rim of about 7.8cm and across the base of about 7.0cm.

It has an unwrapped weight of 1320g.

It is in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks, although there is a visible scratch within the design (see pictures).