September 11 Russia celebrates the Day of faceted glass. Facetious holiday is associated with a very real historical event - 11 September 1943 at a factory in Gus-Crystal was released first Soviet faceted glass. faceted glass design is credited with Soviet-style Vera Mukhina, the author of the monumental composition "Worker and Collective Farm Girl". However, there is no documentary evidence of this. According to some reports, Ignatyevna specially developed form of the glass for the Soviet catering.
"Mukhina" glass, thanks to a smooth ring, going in a circle and set it apart from the traditional form of cut-glass, turned out not only extremely durable, but also easy to wash in the dishwasher. Because of this, the Soviet glass for many years was prescribed in the table, on the railways, but also used in street vending carbonated beverages.
Dimensions of the standard cut-glass - 65 mm in diameter and 90 millimeters in height. The first glass had 16 facets, which is now regarded as "a classic of the genre." There are instances, and 12 and 14 and 18 and edges 20 and 17 with the edges (but not as typical as to produce glasses with an even number of facets easier). At the bottom of the beaker typically extruded price - 7 or 14 cents (as cost "20 polytopes").
If we talk about the normal faceted glass bowl (without the overhead of a smooth rim), it was known much earlier - in the time of Peter the Great. Testified that the emperor gave faceted glass as unbreakable glassware for drinking alcoholic beverages. The king, fond of ship business, appreciated gift, saying that such glass will not fall down on the floor while pitching the ship, and if it falls, it will not break. This dinnerware and became the ancestor of the Soviet faceted glass.
By the way, one more fact: the phrase "figure for three" directly connected with the Soviet faceted glass. The fact is that up to the rim of the glass in the 200-gram glass is placed exactly 167 grams of vodka - a third of a half-liter bottles, which allows to divide its contents "in good conscience".
