WHAT IS TILE ?
Tile is a one face glazed coating substance, which is decorated with colored patterns and decals. Under glaze technique is used while making our tiles. It is believed that tile art has been started in the Middle East and from there moved to Anatolia and later to Europe. Asur, Iran, Middle East Turks and Egyptians have used tiles-which is a branch of Fine Arts now – to decorate buildings and inscriptions. At the ages of Selcuklu and Ottoman Empire, many places in Anatolia, were used for tile production. So many tile samples from the ages of Selcuklu Empire are glazed in firuze (turquoise), green, cobalt blue, Brown and transparent colors.
In the 16th century this was an amazing improvement of the technique –to apply these seven colors under glaze : turquoise, blue, a kind of dark green, red, light cobalt, white and sometimes black.
PRODUCTION PROCESS
The first step is preparation of the tiles, from scratch. Natural products such as clay, quarts, glass and calcium are used in a special recipe that is only known by the producer. They are grounded and blended in the mill until it is in paste form. The paste is then shaped in set forms and it is then kept separated to pre-dry. Once properly dried they are applied an overcoat so designs and patterns can be placed on top.
The next major step in the process is the kiln-drying. They are placed in a kiln that is heated to 920-960 degrees centigrade (1700-1800 Fahrenheit.) This is the first of three steps: After the products are properly kiln dried they are then hand-painted artistically . The paints used are produced with metal oxides such as copper, iron, cobalt, manganese. They are then placed in the kiln for their second drying. After the second drying they are coated with a glaze and then dried in the kiln for the third and last time.
Those products that survive the intense process are those that are presented and displayed for our customers.
MOSAIC GLASS LAMPS
The mosaic portions of the lamps are hand-made in our workshop in Istanbul with thoughtful and soothing designs. Whether they are lit with the glow of a candle or the power of an electric bulb, our lamps bring delicate and beautiful light to any space.