iittala Toikka Kiuru 2017 Annual Bird

More about iittala Toikka Kiuru 2017 Annual Bird"Kiuru is what makes the summer: it announces the arrival of summer one month in advance according to Finnish legend," artist Oiva Toikka said. This is why Kiuri is the only current bird in the collection with wings in flight. In honor of 100 years of Finnish independence, the 2017 Annual Bird wears shades of blue and white, paying homage to Finland's blue skies and clouds as well as the lakes and snow of the Nordic landscape.

Each part of the bird is handcrafted separately before being joined while still hot, demanding precise timing and teamwork from iittala's skilled glassblowers using a veiled glass technique. When the opal white glass is blown into the mold, it allows small air bubbles to form on the surface of the glass. Blue dye is added in powder form to create the pearl-like pattern of the body, which her Annual Egg shares.

The birds of Oiva Toikka's 2017 collection are individually mouth-blown by the master glassblowers at iittala’s glassworks in Finland. Only in the product selection for 2017, each handcrafted iittala Toikka Kiuru 2017 Annual Bird carries the signature “O. Toikka IITTALA 2017” to ensure authenticity.