Kastehelmi ("dewdrop" in Finnish) draws inspiration from dewdrops glistening like a string of pearls under the morning sun and refers to the circles of delicate bubbles in the pressed glass that give each piece in the collection its distinct character. Originally designed by Oiva Toikka in 1964, the Kastehelmi series was relaunched in 2010. Toikka came up with the idea to use droplets of glass as decoration when trying to find a way to hide joint marks left in the production process. The result was a unique design that features rings of tiny glass bubbles that extend outwards from the center of each piece. The droplet enhanced the optical quality of Iittala's glass recipe resulting in a glass that is like no other. For over fifty years, Kastehelmi has been a beloved Iittala series.
