The Finnish word “kastehelmi” means “dewdrop,” which refers to the rings of small glass beads that give each piece in the Iittala Kastehelmi collection its distinct character. Originally designed by Oiva Toikka in 1964, the Kastehelmi series was relaunched in 2010. The idea of using droplets of glass as decoration came to Oiva Toikka when he was thinking of ways to hide the joint marks left by the production process. The result was Iittala Kastehelmi, which features rings of tiny glass bubbles that extend outwards from the centre of each piece. Today, as then, Iittala Kastehelmi is one of the most beloved series in the Iittala range.