Contestant's Case to Win

Where Do Glass Chocolates Come From?

Once upon a time, on the rural northern coast of California, there lived two sisters who happened to be glass artists. One sister made beautiful, small glass art pieces that were very unique and time consuming to make. While the creation of these pieces was a labor of love, they were also very frustrating as weeks of work frequently resulted in only a few small finished pieces. There were collectors, museum curators and fellow artists that appreciated her artistry and she was in great demand for teaching and lecturing about her techniques that resulted from research on glass made by the ancient Egyptians. But something was missing!!!

The sisters really wanted to make something that was different, fun and would give give them a chance to experiment with glass techniques that they hadn’t yet explored. But, it had to be something that would appeal to everyone. They liked to create small objects that featured finely executed, detailed hand work whose sole purpose is to be admired and enjoyed. One of their greatest goals was to create miniature sculptures that would cause both the collector and fellow glass artist to admire the beauty of the piece while puzzling “How did they do that?”. The question then became what common object can best be translated into glass while presenting the opportunity to explore color, technique, design and have some fun?

Many days of considering the question finally resulted in a “Eureka, I’ve got it!!” moment and art glass chocolates were born. At first the idea seemed too simple, a “blob” of chocolate colored glass with squiggles, dots or flowers on top, but then the sisters began to do some research on what real chocolates around the world looked like. The more they saw, the more they became convinced that the look, the visual impact of beautiful chocolates, could be an art form in itself and they set to work.

The results can be seen today at www.malmseys.com where over 250 designs and color combinations of glass chocolates made by Dinah and Patty Hulet are available. While the colorful, sparkling glass surfaces are recognizable as being only a representation of real chocolate, the sculptures themselves elicit the immediate impression of chocolate, the way we all remember it from childhood. Somewhere in all the variety of these works is the one piece that you remember as a favorite. It is almost impossible to have just one, as it will beg for just two or three more to complete a beautiful little collection that will be a permanent reminder of one of the sweetest things in life.