Early in his career, Bob made marbles for fun. It was a playful activity that he often did after he had finished other, more important glassblowing projects. When he made marbles he always had a smile on his face, and may have engaged in conversations and barked out orders to his assistants without skipping a beat, all while making some of the most beautiful marbles imaginable. Bob was definitely a ham, and often played with the glass, which sometimes resulted in brilliant creations, and other times experiments that went into the trash barrel, the misshapen glass piling up at the bottom and sizzling and popping, as the smoke snaked above the barrel.
Once the demand for marbles among collectors and walk-ins increased, Bob took marble making more seriously. Still, he had a good time making marbles, and he enjoyed the challenge of being creative in such a small, restrictive medium. That man was a creative genius and, like other creative types, he relished the opportunity to tackle something difficult, if not impossible.
Bob's colorful, oversized creations were at a zenith in his later years, and he had trouble keeping up with the orders. Prices ranged from just a few dollars to $200 and more. He crafted one-inch, two-inch and three-inch marbles. The three-inch marble was my favorite. But, I must admit, there was something special -- and utterly alluring -- about those tiny one-inch marbles that made you feel you were holding a miniature world in your hands. Turning it in the light of the window, you felt that you were gazing into a separate reality.
Glass is a dazzling medium, and Robert Hamon's marbles dazzled people from all walks of life. Farmers, attorneys, business owners and housewives bought his marbles, and displayed them proudly on tiny plastic or glass stands. I know I have many of Bob's marbles on display in my house. Sometimes they shine brightly in the ambient light of the room, and other times they shine in brilliant colors and tones when a ray of sunlight strikes at just the right place, turning the ordinary moment into a magical one.
Robert Hamon's Marble Formula:
Inspiration + Sweat + Magic = A Beautiful Marble
That's how I think of my uncle. He was a man who made magic for everyone to enjoy. Whether he was showing a tray of his best marbles to a serious collector or just making impromptu figurines for local school children, he took the same pride in his work, and found a tremendous satisfaction in seeing radiant smiles bloom on their faces. After all, Bob was a people lover. And he tried to make the world a better place by making people happy. His marbles sure did the trick for me. I think of the formula he used to make marbles as something like this: part inspiration, part sweat and part magic. And, yes, the magic was something like a rabbit that he pulled out of a hat.
by: Richard Hamon II
A Robert L. Hamon three-inch marble