Behind the mirrors there was always a train of mystery and mystery. Take at least Christmas fortune-telling, where in the corridor made with the help of mirrors and candles, one could see not only a narrowed-richen, but also unclean power, as our ancestors claimed. Traditions and legends associated with these accessories for everyday life are found in many peoples, both good and bad.
For example, now, popular, thanks to a television show, psychics and fortunetellers claim that any mirrors that you bought in an online store of unusual things or got from relatives have the energy of the last owner or the one who made them.
The history of this device begins, perhaps, with the advent of a reasonable person. People began to note that water and some surfaces of the stones can reflect their own silhouettes and outlines near the located objects. The most ancient of the mirrors known to archaeologists can be considered polished pieces of obsidian stone used by the tribes living in the territory of Peru. In ancient Egypt, bronze, silver, tin or copper plates were used, which were polished until the reflective effect was obtained. Carved handles decorated with engraving were attached to them.
In the 1st century AD, the Roman Empire began to make mirrors made of glass. Such funny gifts Podarkiprikolnie-Podarki were framed by a metal rim and a curly handle. In the XIV century, glass manufacturing technology changed. It was blown up into a glass ball, which was then cut. As a result, mirrors acquired a convex shape, but decreased in size. Of course, the quality of such an accessory left much to be desired, but compared to previously manufactured, it had a better reflective ability.
Already in the 16th century, masters of the small Italian city of Murano tried to apply a thin layer of a mixture from tin and mercury on a glass ball. The result of such an experiment was pleasantly surprised by its quality, and the technology began to improve. Muranian mirrors enjoyed a stunning success, the production principle of which was kept secret. But, people do not know how to keep the secrets for which they promise gold, so the French court bribed and lured Italian masters who brought with them the technology of mirrors.
After several centuries, in the 19th century, the technology of glass coverage was developed, which is also used in modern production. This significantly reduced the complexity of the process of making mirrors, as well as the toxicity of the previously used method.
