Strathearn Glass was a Scottish glassworks known for its vibrant, handcrafted art glass—especially paperweights, vases, bowls, and lamps in the Vasart style. The company was established in 1965 in Crieff, Perthshire, evolving from the earlier Vasart Glass, which itself had roots in the famed Monart Glass tradition

One of Strathearn’s distinctive features was its leaping salmon seal, impressed into the base of many pieces when the glass thickness allowed. Their designs often featured mottled colors and millefiori patterns, blending traditional Scottish forms with a modern flair

In 1980, the company was taken over by Stuart and Sons of Stourbridge and renamed Stuart Strathearn, continuing production until 1992

The company was born when Teacher’s Whisky took over Vasart Glass to produce novelty ashtrays made from melted whisky bottles—an idea sparked by a happy accident involving a bottle left in a potter’s oven
To meet growing demand, they built a new factory in Crieff and renamed the company Strathearn Glass. It became the first glassworks in Europe to fire its furnaces with propane gas

Strathearn continued the tradition of handcrafted glassware, including millefiori paperweights, mottled vases, and bowls, often marked with their signature leaping salmon logo

Their designs retained the Vasart aesthetic but introduced a more modern interpretation of traditional Scottish forms

Strathearn Glass was a Scottish glassworks known for its vibrant, handcrafted art glass—especially paperweights, vases, bowls, and lamps in the Vasart style. The company was established in 1965 in Crieff, Perthshire, evolving from the earlier Vasart Glass, which itself had roots in the famed Monart Glass tradition

One of Strathearn’s distinctive features was its leaping salmon seal, impressed into the base of many pieces when the glass thickness allowed. Their designs often featured mottled colors and millefiori patterns, blending traditional Scottish forms with a modern flair

The company was born when Teacher’s Whisky took over Vasart Glass to produce novelty ashtrays made from melted whisky bottles—an idea sparked by a happy accident involving a bottle left in a potter’s oven

To meet growing demand, they built a new factory in Crieff and renamed the company Strathearn Glass. It became the first glassworks in Europe to fire its furnaces with propane gas

Strathearn continued the tradition of handcrafted glassware, including millefiori paperweights, mottled vases, and bowls, often marked with their signature leaping salmon logo

Their designs retained the Vasart aesthetic but introduced a more modern interpretation of traditional Scottish forms

Strathearn Glass stood out for its blend of traditional craftsmanship and experimental flair, especially during its heyday from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s. Here are some of the techniques and materials that made it distinctive:

1. Millefiori paperweights: Strathearn continued the Ysart family’s legacy of intricate millefiori (meaning “a thousand flowers”) designs. These involved fusing colorful glass canes into floral or geometric patterns, then encasing them in clear crystal.
2. Mottled and speckled glass: Their vases and bowls often featured vibrant mottled colors with speckled inclusions, created by rolling molten glass over crushed colored glass fragments before shaping and casing it in clear crystal
3. Free-blown forms: While many pieces followed standard molds, Strathearn also produced free-blown glass, resulting in organic, one-of-a-kind shapes that emphasized the fluidity of the medium
4. Leaping salmon seal: When the glass thickness allowed, pieces were marked with a leaping salmon logo—a nod to Scottish heritage and a key identifier for collectors
5. Crystal casing: A glossy, thick outer layer of clear crystal was often used to encase the colored core, giving Strathearn pieces a jewel-like clarity and weight
6. Propane-fired furnaces: Strathearn was the first glassworks in Europe to use propane gas for its furnaces, which allowed for more consistent heat and cleaner combustion