Method of fabricating decoratively-cracked glass vessels

A method of fabricating a decoratively-cracked glass vessel comprising the steps of:

• depositing a molten-glass gob into a pre-form mold;
• injecting a gas into the pre-form mold in order to form the gob into a pre-form vessel having at least one pre-form vessel wall defining a pre-form vessel exterior surface and a pre-form vessel interior surface defining a pre-form vessel cavity;
• removing the pre-form vessel from the pre-form mold;
• exposing the pre-form vessel exterior surface, while the pre-form vessel is still heated, to a fluid that is sufficiently cool relative to the pre-form vessel that cracks are formed along the pre-form vessel exterior surface;
• introducing the cracked and heated pre-form vessel into a finish mold;
• injecting a gas into the pre-form vessel cavity within the finish mold in order to (i) form the pre-form vessel into a finished vessel having at least one vessel wall defining vessel interior and exterior surfaces and (ii) promote sealing of cracked areas from within the vessel.

A method of decoratively-cracking a glass vessel having a vessel wall defining a vessel exterior surface and a vessel interior surface defining a vessel cavity, the method comprising the steps of:

• exposing the vessel exterior surface, while the vessel is heated, to a fluid that is sufficiently cool relative to the vessel that cracks are formed along the vessel exterior surface;
• introducing the cracked and heated vessel into a finish mold;
• and
• injecting pressurized gas into the vessel cavity, while the cracked vessel is in the finish mold, in order to promote sealing of cracked areas from within the vessel cavity.