The glass designer and decorative artist Göran Hongell was one of the pioneers of the Finnish glass tradition.

With his mouth-blown glassware service Aarne, Hongell won the gold medal in 1954 at the Triennale in Milan. His famed creation also set the trend for essential glassware in the 1950s, a trend that remains to this day.

Aarne was selected as the symbol of the iittala glassworks for its 100th anniversary in 1981 and is featured in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Aarne remains one of the most classic shapes in the world of tabletop design. The distinguishing features of the lead-free crystal Aarne glassware are its thick base and tall, thin delicate lines that elegantly flare outward.

Iittala-glass is high quality, special glass, which is optically very bright. It endures chemical and mechanical wear well.

Iittala glass has been specially treated to be dishwasher safe. By following the instructions below, your Iittala glasses will bring you joy for a long time. Place the glasses on the upper level of your dishwasher so that the rims do not touch during the wash. Fill the upper level of the dishwasher with other objects, so that the spurts of water do not move the glasses. Rinse milk and buttermilk glasses with cold water before placing them in the dishwasher to prevent proteins from settling on the glasses. Use short dishwashing programs and low temperatures. It is best to hand wash delicate glasses, pitchers and jugs. Do not stack warm glasses immediately after washing as they may get stuck and break. When serving hot drinks, we recommend glasses made from special heat resistant glass. Iittala glass is not oven safe nor do we recommend you put them in the microwave.