Alegant bestows exquisite plates on Inner Mongolia

Hand-painted, crystal-sculpted ornamental plates from Zhuhai Alegant Co Ltd were presented on Aug 7 as gifts to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region to mark its 70th anniversary.

The ceremony was aired by national broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).

Featuring traditional Chinese handicraft and modern science and technology, each plate reportedly contains 28 Alegant techniques and 10 national proprietary technologies.

Located in Xinqing Science & Technology Industrial Park of Doumen District, Zhuhai Alegant specializes in developing, designing, and manufacturing high-end glassware and crystal products.

According to general manager Li Bing, the gift was designed by the Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University and handcrafted at the company. 

Televised image of hand-painted crystal carving plates [Photo courtesy CCTV13]

Both the front and the back of the plates are unevenly and subtly carved to create a unique design including a clever use of the glass to enable permeability and refraction. Such is Alegant's high-grade technology that the craftsmen are able to carve with a precision of 0.3 mm -- a world-leading level. They can also carve just 0.5 mm deep with a symmetrical accuracy down to 0.5 mm. 

After the carving, the plates were blasted five times in kilns to create an artistic effect before being coated with a non-toxic, harmless, and durable aqueous paint, Li added.