Duralex Picardie

Beautifully tough

The Duralex name comes from the latin dura lex, sed lex which translates as 'the law is tough, but it is the law.'

These glasses always remind me of hot summer holidays as a child, when I first held cold drinks in them. Every time you touch this glass you feel the quality of its design and manufacture. The French have a knack of creating well-designed and superior mass-produced products that are also affordable; and Duralex pride themselves on being 100% French. Everything is sourced and supplied from within France. The Duralex Picardie is as French as a Saint James Breton shirt or a Laulhère beret. They are ubiquitous because they are so good. 

Duralex have been producing tempered glassware from its factory near Orléans since 1945. The tempering process makes the glasses super-tough. The glass is heated to around 700°C then suddenly cooled by air ventilation. This makes the glass 2.5 times stronger than annealed glass and able to endure a thermal shock of 130°C. This means it can easily go from freezer to microwave.

They are also virtually unbreakable, but if you do drop them onto an unrelenting surface the glass bursts into smooth, blunt pieces, making these glasses safe too. Perfect for children wanting a cold drink.

Details

Category: Glassware

Country of Origin : France

Brand/Make/Model: Duralex Picardie

Designer: Unknown

Type: Tumbler

Year: 1945 to date

Why:  Design, quality and durability

Website: www.duralex.com