What is Tuscan Style?

Those who like warm, earth tone colors and rustic, Old World Mediterranean style furnishings will love Tuscan style. This design style is very similar to Southwestern style architecture and décor commonly seen in areas such as Southern California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Texas. The Tuscan countryside is located in Italy, influences from the French and Spanish countryside, which border the Mediterranean Sea just west of Italy. Influences from the ancient Etruscan culture and the Renaissance period of the Middle Ages are present as well. Natural influences found in the Mediterranean countryside include cypress and olive trees, grapes grown in the many wine vineyards, golden, luscious pears and the beautiful scents and colors of flowering plants such as jasmine, rosemary and bougainvillea. Which brings us to Tuscan styled furniture. Classic, Mediterranean style furniture will have a lot of scrolling ironwork and richly stained wood with highly polished finishes. Intricate hand-painted designs are also common featuring leafy grapevines, flowers, fruits and elaborate scrolls. Hammered copper, wrought iron doors and uniquely crafted latches, hinges and drawer pulls add stunning accents to rustic wood furniture as seen in this piece.

Lead glass is a variety of glass in which lead replaces the calcium content of a typical potash glass.[1] Lead glass contains typically 18–40 weight% lead(II) oxide (PbO), while modern lead crystal, historically also known as flint glass due to the original silica source, contains a minimum of 24% PbO.[2] Lead glass is desirable owing to its decorative properties. Originally discovered by Englishman George Ravenscroft in 1674, the technique of adding lead oxide (in quantities of between 10 and 30%) improved the appearance of the glass and made it easier to melt using sea-coal as a furnace fuel. This technique also increased "working period" making the glass easier to manipulate. Technically, the term crystal is not applied to glass, as glass, by definition, lacks a crystalline structure. The use of the term lead crystal remains popular for historical and commercial reasons. It is retained from the Venetian word cristallo to describe the rock crystal imitated by Murano glassmakers. This naming convention has been maintained to the present day to describe decorative hollow-ware.[3] Due to the potential health risks of lead that it contains, true lead crystal glassware is rare nowadays. One material that is commonly used to manufacture glassware and referred to as "crystal" is lead-free crystal glass. In lead-free crystal glass, barium oxide, zinc oxide, or potassium oxide are employed instead of lead oxide. Lead-free crystal has a similar refractive index to lead crystal, but it is lighter and it has less dispersive power.[4] In the European Union, labeling of "crystal" products is regulated by Council Directive 69/493/EEC, which defines four categories, depending on the chemical composition and properties of the material. Only glass products containing at least 24% of lead oxide may be referred to as "lead crystal". Products with less lead oxide, or glass products with other metal oxides used in place of lead oxide, must be labeled "crystallin" or "crystal glass"

French Style