Inside the workshop
Quarz turns to sound.
Pyramids, chimes and other sound bodies are made from rods and tubes of pure quartz glass. Proportion, clean joints and the ear matter most: every piece is not only built, but checked for its resonance.
Showing the workshop matters because the sound is connected to the making: the purity of the crystal, the precision of the geometry and the patience required to complete an instrument that is both precisely crafted and resonant.
The family behind the sound
Schrade Glas family
Behind the crystal sound instruments are people who work with glass, fire, sound and patience. Each person brings something of their own: burner experience, craft strength, new ideas and a feeling for the moment when quartz becomes an instrument.
Master glassblower
Rolf Schrade
Rolf began glassblowing at the age of 16 and has worked for decades as an artistic glassblower. His experience anchors the family tradition in practiced hands, patient flame work and public demonstrations of the craft.
- 1976-1983 glassblowing apprenticeship: at 16, Rolf began training in laboratory glassware and also explored artistic glass.
- 1985-2000 Wertheimer Glaskunst GmbH: Wertheimer Glaskunst helped shape German glass art in the 1980s and 1990s; national and international exhibitions, reaching as far as Japan, made the work widely known.
- 2000-2011 Magic Glass GmbH: Rolf founded Magic Glass GmbH, later a market leader for glass smoking devices. The company became known worldwide for especially high-quality glasswork.
- Since 2011 exhibitions and glassblowing demonstrations: Rolf returned more strongly to his roots, creates accessible glass art and demonstrates the craft, including on river cruise ships in Germany.
Crystal sound instrument maker
Dieter Schrade
Dieter trained as a scientific glassblower and later discovered crystal work in California. He invented the original crystal sound pyramid and dedicated his work to pure quartz instruments for resonance, clarity and meditation.
Glass jewelry artist
Rainer Schrade
Rainer has worked with glass jewelry for more than 40 years. His work brings color, movement and refinement into the Schrade family story, with unique pieces shaped freely at the burner.
- 1985 to today: Galerie Glaswerk, together with Biggie Schrade.
- 1987-1995 represented by First Glass Gallery Germany in Berlin.
- 1998 to today: member of professional associations for artists and craftspeople.
- Since 2011 represented with Galerie Glaswerk at the Christmas market at Cologne Cathedral.
Next generation
Louis Schrade
Louis studies clinical psychology and is especially drawn to the meditation aspects of crystal sound bodies. He contributes to the conception of new sound instruments and helps present the pieces calmly, clearly and close to their effect.
Next generation
Lennard Schrade
Lennard helps with the hands-on work and, at 204 cm, is exactly the tall guy you want nearby for the more strenuous tasks.
Dieter's Path
Crystal clear: Dieter's path to the original sound pyramid.
After his training as a scientific glassblower, Dieter’s path led him to California. There he learned to work with pure crystal, a material whose clarity, resonance and closeness to natural rock crystal never let him go.
The material
Crystal clear
The instruments are made from quartz glass, chemically SiO2, in very high purity. This material is exceptionally clear, temperature-resistant and resonant; it carries the tone for a long time.
In many spiritual traditions, crystal is considered a medium that can hold information, energy and intention. That is why we do not see making as a purely technical process: through handwork, direct touch and conscious focus, every piece receives calm, care and intention as it is created.
In our view, many, probably most, crystal sound instruments on the market today are made industrially, automatically and in larger series. We say this carefully, because precision can also exist there; the difference in our work is that each instrument passes individually through our hands and becomes a consciously tuned sound body of pure crystal.
