Atmosphere World Globes

Atmosphere world globes are one of the worlds newest globe makers. They focus on modern and contemporary designs. Their company slogan is "Standing out brightly among billions of stars", emphasising the companies focus on visual beauty.

Atmosphere world globes use Danish design and Italian manufacturing in order to create globes that are entirely European. Atmosphere started our with a mission to produce particularly aesthetically pleasing globes that can also be used for reference. Hence the globe above was created and name the "Atmosphere". This is a well priced globe that has great educational value due to its dual mapping feature. In the picture shown the Atmosphere has physical mapping (deserts and forests etc are given visual preference), when the Atmosphere is illuminated the map changes to political mapping, where all the countries light up in different colours, making country boundaries more visible.

More recently Atmosphere world globes have produced design lead models focussing on contemporary visual appeal. This became the vision range. The below product was name the "Vision Red" or "Ruby". The vision range gives no compromise on quality for example the Ruby below features a beautifully screen printed vinyl ball and a brushed aluminium base. The vision range was designed with style as opposed to function in mind, each member of the vision series would look great in a modern home or office.

Atmosphere have also begun making floorstanding models as part of their vision range. These "Stem" globes are illuminated and have steel bases and stands.

Atmosphere world globes produce high quality European designer items that have proven very popular. 

A History of Columbus World Globes

Columbus globes are featured throughout JustGlobes. They range from around £100 all the way up to over £25,000. They also produce some of the national geographic globes features on JustGlobes. This page is dedicated to the history of this illustrious globe manufacturer.

Columbus Globes was originally known as "the publishing house" and was based in Berlin in Germany. It opened in 1909. Its founder was called Paul Oestergaard, his vision was to bring high quality reference globes to the general public. This was ambitious as at the time high quality reference globes were largely too expensive to be supplied to the general public.

The globes the Mr Oestergaard produced had superior cartography and were sold at a more affordable price than competitors at the time. The globes became so successful that they were soon manufactured in 24 languages and sold across the world. Within a decade the factory in Berlin did not have the capacity to fulfil its orders.

During the second world war, the Columbus factory and administration buildings were severely damaged, as well as the Oestergaard household. This prompted the Oestergaard family along with Columbus Globes to move to Stuttgart. New manufacturing facilities lead to the creation of the DUO globe. This new globe was patented as the first "dual mapping" globe ever created, where the mapping changes from physical to political as the globe itself is illuminated.

In 1963, the third Oestergaard generation took over the company. Peter Oestergaard was a machine builder by trade, this helped the design and production of the globes. Peter Oestergaard was instrumental in producing the DUPLEX globe, which was a world first. It was the first globe to be made from plastic, its process was also mostly automated for maximum efficiency.

In 1972 a new type of globe was once again created at Columbus Globes. It was simply called the Planet Earth. This was arguably the most information-rich desktop globe ever produced up to this point. To this day the Planet Earth (see above picture) is available from JustGlobes with the same impressive features as approximately 40 years ago. The Planet Earth shows a display of day, night and twilight, as well as the cycle of seasons.

Following the re-unification of Germany and the steady collapse of the USSR from 1993 onwards, the Oestergaard family moved again to a much larger factory to enable a move to a digit cartography format. this allows for a more cost efficient and fast way to update cartography. This also enabled the whole company to operate under the same building where the family could have better control of the final product.

In 1999 Columbus Globes took over another speciality globe maker who was among the last still producing hand-laminated, mouth-blown crystal spheres for cartographic globes. The acquisition of this manufacturing process has essentially preserved this particular method of globe making from going extinct. The Black Forest and Bremen models available on JustGlobes are made from this method.

Defining Features, Functionality and Composition of World Globes

At JustGlobes we are always trying to help our customers decide which globe will suit them best. We are positive that there is a globe for everyone.

Below are a number of important features along with an example of the feature on a globe available from us either by special order or directly from our site.

Crystal/ Glass World Globes

There are two globe models on JustGlobes that fit into this category. The Black Forest (shown) and the Bremen floorstanding globe. These globes are hand-blown like traditional glass but are made using glass-polymer. This is much stronger and more durable than traditional glass yet has a very similar refractive index making it the idea ultra-premium material for the manufacture of world globes. Both models mentioned above are manufactured in Germany to the highest quality standards as one would expect from German manufacturing. World globes manufactured in this way are designed to appeal to the contemporary home or office. Due to the fact that they are hand blown they are only available in 16". This makes the Black Forest an impressive desktop model as the standard size for a desktop world globe 12".


Dry Erase World Globes

There are two models available that can be written on without damaging the cartography. These are Geographer (shown) which is available directly from the website and the Blank Globe which is available if requested. These world globes are defined by their unique design function. The surface on these world globes is similar to that of a white board that you might see in a school or university. White board pens (supplied) can be used to annotate the surface as required and can simply be wiped off when dry. Such globes are very popular among schools and other educational environments.





Gemstone Globes

Gemstone world globes are defined by the material that they are made out of. Because of their superior beauty gemstone world globes are largely used solely for decorative purposes. A gemstone globe makes a great gift for that special person who is oh so hard to buy for. Due to the wide variety of styles and colour schemes available gemstone globes are well suited to home and office decorating. Gemstone globes use many different types of materials, depending on the coloration that is desired for the finished globe. In addition to Abalone Shell and Mother of Pearl, the semi-precious stones include Amethyst, Aphrizite, Belioculas Onyx, Black Spotted Jade, Chrysolithos, Coral, Green Jade, Green Jasper, Lapis, Lapis Siphnos, Mongolian Jade, Mongolian Red Spotted Jade, Mongolian White Jade, Phoenix Jade, Picture Jasper, Purple Quartz, Red Jade, Red Spotted Jade, South African Jade, Spotted Jade, Tiger Eye, Turquoise, and White Jade.

Illuminated Globes

Illuminated globes are defined by their functionality. Thin acrylic or vinyl is normally used to make up the globe ball of an illuminated globe. This is because these materials are thinner, stronger and far less expensive than glass. Illuminated world globes make great night lights, and are great for mood lighting. Illuminated globes have a subtle, understated illumination that adds a warm, more person touch to a room that is difficult to achieve with standard lighting. Models such as the Dresden (shown) are extremely popular due to the incredibly vibrant cartography achievable on an illuminated globe.
All illuminated models available at JustGlobes require access to a power socket and connect via a cable. If an illuminated globe also has a gyroscopic feature the cable may slightly limit the mobility of the globe. All of which must be considered before purchase.

Physical Globe

A physical globe could perhaps be better describes as a globe with physical mapping. Physical world globes show a deliberate advantage to mountains, deserts, forests and the globes relative colours on its cartography and forgoes political boundaries which are more common. Physical globes are popular in schools for geography lessons and with customers who are more interested in physical geography. The Atlantis (shown) also features fully gyroscopic rotation and the most impressive raised relief available on any world globe on JustGlobes.co.uk.






Political Globe

Political world globes are easily the most common type of globes. Political cartography refers to mapping which highlights country boundaries by colouring countries in different colours. This is more popular as most globes are purchased as a reference. Political colouring as seen on the Pioneer globe (shown) can be bright and visually striking.

A Cartographic History of Globes

Globe History

The oldest known western terrestrial globe (a globe featuring the planets surface) was made in 1492 by a German from Nuremberg called Martin Behaim. 

The most interesting thing to note about the first ever world globe was that it features gaps, where we had not yet mapped. The most significant area that springs to mind is the area west of the UK across the Atlantic ocean. 

In the very same year, explorer Christopher Columbus set sail west from Spain sailing towards what he thought would be the east Indies but what turned out to be north America. This land corresponded remarkably to a large gap on Benhaim's world globe. Due to the monumental discovery of north America, the invention of a world globe seemed rather insignificant. This is completely understandable as the discovery of North America in 1492 can only be compare to the moon landings in 1969 for global impact.

Globes are among the most ancient scientific instruments known. Their history extends more than a thousand years, and today they are more popular than ever due to the communication age that we live in. One very significant contribution to the globe came from an Alexandrian astronomer and geographer called Claudius Ptolemaeus (or Ptolemy) in the second century AD. In his most noted works "the Almagest and the Geography", he recorded the earliest known description for calculating the fixed position of an object on a sphere using spherical coordinates. Such coordinate systems are the foundation on which all later globes have been designed.

The word "globe" is derived from the Latin "globus", which means sphere. Throughout the centuries globes have often been sold in pairs, one celestial or night sky and the other terrestrial or worlds surface. This became less popular toward the end of the 19th century. Celestial or night sky globes are still available today at www.JustGlobes.co.uk.

Terrestrial Globes

A terrestrial globe is easiest to conceive as a model of the Earth, it has been viewed for centuries as a symbol of open mindedness by the scientific community as only a world globe shows each and every country in their correct proportions and all the distances between countries to the same scale. This creates no political or relative power bias that some maps display.

Celestial Globes

A celestial or night sky globe is a little more difficult to explain. The ancient Greeks perceived the Earth, moon and solar system as if it was surrounded by a hollow shell or "outer sky" of stars and various constellations, they had of course not discovered any relevant distances of stars. A celestial globe is a model of this outer sky. however because this model is seen from the Earth and therefore an inside point, the representation on the globe reversed, because we view it from an outside point.

A symbol of knowledge but also of power , the celestial globe became an attribute of Roman Emperors, emblematic of their dominion over an empire that spanned a significant proportion of the globe.

After Ptolemy and the Roman empire celestial globes became lost to the world, only the techniques behind them were remembered and passed on by Byzantine scribes. This was also threatened by Christianity which likened astronomy and astrology to paganism. It was eventually Arab scholars who revived astronomy, passed on through Islamic conquests. 

The Printed Globe

Techniques like wood cutting to fashion objects and art out of wood and various metal engraving became increasing used toward the end of the 15th century in Europe. Thus early European globes were made from wood or metal.

Wooden world globes had linen or vellum laid over them on which the appropriate cartography was printed. When metal globes were used the cartography was engraved onto the surface. 

The above traditional methods of globe manufacture were soon replaced by the printed globe.

It was in 1527 that the first paper gores were printed. This relates to the technique that is used today to create the highest quality globes. The cartography for the globe is printed onto convex paper segment and then laid on to the sphere as if replacing the peel of orange. This is the only method that creates no spatial or directional distortion and it is why globes are a superior reference tool when looking at the world as a whole.

Reference texts:

Globi Neerlandici by P.v.d Krogt

Glboes from the Western World by E.Dekker and P.v.d Krogt.

A History of the World Globe

Why are world globes important
World globes are the most accurate maps. The reason for this is very simple, Earth is a sphere, so is a globe. For this reason when you look at a world globe you can truly see the way the world looks in all of its simplicities and complexities.
All countries are shown in their true sizes relative to each other. There is no direction distortion so the distances between cities can be calculated, also a globe can be used to calculate the current time in each place in the world.

It has already been said that globes are much more accurate than any flat map. Imagine that the worlds surface is like an orange, peeling off the skin and laying it flat would leave lots of gaps. How to accurately reproduce a globe onto a flat map surface is what cartographers have been trying to do for at least 400 years. On many world maps, countries appear distorted, especially those far away from the equator. Greenland might appear bigger than Africa for example when it is 4 x smaller.

Flat world maps do have their uses though, after all you can't fold up a globe and put it in your pocket when travelling. Maps are particularly useful when used as objects to help find your way around a city for example. When a map is confined to such a small area, any distortions or other problems that occur at a world level are minimal but when looking at the whole world a globe is clearly a more accurate and more attractive choice.

Early opinions on the Earth's shape
When astronauts look down at the Earth from space, all they see is a huge blue and white sphere. Clearly thousands of years ago humans did not have the ability to pop into space to see what the world looks like.

It must have been very hard to imagine the shape of the world hundreds of years ago as must of the world, as far as the eye can see seems almost totally flat. Its really no surprise that many people believed the world to be a flat disc, also as many early sailors who sought to explore never returned you might imagine that it is quite easy to come to the conclusion that they may have simply fallen of the edge of the Earth.

In Greece, storytellers used to describe the world as a flat disc, surrounded by the "Ocean River". Hundreds of years later, Aztecs had a similar idea about the world. They believed that the world was a flat disc with a great circle of water around it.

Some had the right idea
Even thousands of years ago people were finding wholes in the argument of a flat world. If it was true that the world was flat then why did the sun rise in the east and set in the west every day? Why did the stars move in circles in the nights sky? These observations didn't prove that the world was round but they did give vital clues as to the true shape of the Earth.

Many myths trying to explain motions of the sun were created by various religions. For example the story of the chariot pulling the sun across the sky each day. Such stories were quite persuasive but little by little more and more people came to believe that the Earth must be a sphere.

The truth emerges
At around 250BC, the Green mathematician Eratosthenes noticed that a post in the city of Alexandria, Egypt cast a shadow at noon on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. At the same time in Syrene, a town due south from Alexandria at an angle. This was because the Earth's surface was curved, Eratosthenes reasoned.

By knowing the distance between the two cities and by calculating the angle of the pole to the shadow. Eratosthenes was able to apply geometric theory to determine the diameter of the world to an impressive accuracy. He calculated that the world was 7850 miles in diameter when it is 7926 miles in diameter at the equator.

Though Eratosthenes argument was very impressive and seemed to be irrefutable it must have been to complicated a reasoning to persuade the massive majority of people to come over to the correct way of thinking.

Where did the Earth fit into the universe?
By around 150BC most Greeks had accepted that the Earth was a globe, sphere shaped.
There was still a problem in that they did not know how this world globe fitted into the universe. Aristarchus, who lived in the 200s BC said correctly that the Earth revolved around the sun, but not many people believed him. Instead, they believed Claudius Ptolemy, an astronomer who said the moon, the sun, the planets and stars revolved around the Earth in a series of circles. For another 1400 years this mistaken idea was believed and accepted by the wider community.

In 140BC, a Greek man known as Crates of Mallus built what may have been the first globe in history. It is difficult to picture what this globe must have looked like as the Greeks had not explored Australia, the Americas not the mention the poles.

What were the Chinese thinking?
In China at around the same time as the Greeks, some Chinese astronomers thought the Earth was a hemisphere-like globe sliced in half underneath a dome shaped universe.

Other Chinese thinkers thought the universe like an egg, with the earth as the yolk. Then there was a third group of Chinese astronomers who said the universe was an infinitely large, almost empty space, where spheres like the sun, the moon and the Earth floated around very very far way from each other. This is very close but like the Greeks, the Chinese dropped this idea and stuck with the theory of the egg-shaped universe.

What were the Arabs thinking?
Astronomers in India learned about the universe by reading books written by the Greeks. Around 500AD, an Indian astronomer Aryabhata explained why the stars circled the Earth in the night sky. He believed the Earth must be spinning like a top.

The Arabs learned about astronomy from previous cultures, the Chinese and Greeks. They also used shadows to predict the diameter of the Earth. In the 1300's a former slave called al-Khazini came up with the idea of gravity, he stated that everything was attracted to the centre of the Earth.

Finally getting rid of old myths
Before European explorers and conquerors sailed across the oceans in the 1400s and 1500s, cartographers in Europe made globes. In 1492, Martin Behaim, a German cartographer, made the oldest globe that still exists today. Years later, the Dutch would become famous across Europe for striving to create the highest quality, most detailed globes of the time.

The problem was that even up to the 1600s people in power would still believe that the Earth was the centre of the universe. I real push began by educated people to persuade people against this way of thinking. Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, German astronomer Johannes Kepler and Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei proved that all views about the Earth being the centre of the universe were nonsense. They showed conclusively that the Earth orbited the sun. Many religious leaders refused to believe these new ideas, the pope famously persecuted Galileo and the books of Copernicus were banned.

Finally in Sir Isaac Newton there was a man powerful enough and respected enough to force the issue. Isaac came up with the first theory that explained the movements of the sun, the moon and the planets. Newton realized the force that causes an apple to fall from a tree was also the force that kept the moon in orbit around the Earth. Newton explained that this force called gravity held the solar system together. Today, scientists are still getting more information about the universe and the laws of physics, but Newton's laws of motion give a pretty good description of everything that happens around us to this day.


Thanks to Replogle World Globes for this text.

Gemstone Globe Materials

At JustGlobes we strive to offer the highest quality and most detail ranges of Gemstone globes. Our gemstone globes are made using around 30 semi precious stones, some of which are described here.

Malachite
Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral, which essentially means that it is composed of Copper, Carbon, Oxygen and Hydrogen.

The name Malachite is derived from Greek which roughly translates to "mallow-green stone". This name given to the stone as the colour resembles that of the Mallow plant.

Malachite was used as an expensive paint pigment up to about 1800. Malachite is a good pigment as it very lightfast, meaning it doesn't fade with time or exposure to the sun as much as the majority of other minerals. This is an excellent trait for gemstone globes as materials that can resist fading over time will make for a brighter, more colourful gemstone globe for longer.

Malachite has a downside as a pigment and that is that it varies in colour noticeably depending on Oxygen concentration, this obviously produced inconsistent colour. For globes however, this is not a problem as each gemstone world globe is handmade, they are all unique and ever so slightly different. Colour variations in the semi precious occur in our gemstone world globes regularly due to changes in supply location, we feel this adds to the exclusivity and charm of the globes.

Recent historical evidence suggests that Malachite has been mined for around 300 years.

Mother Of Pearl
is an organic-inorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer, it also it the material that makes up pearls. It is extremely strong and resilient making it a great globe material.

Oyster shells are used in the mother of pearl gemstone world globes at JustGlobes. They are both readily available and have a large and relatively flat inner shell layer making them the idea source for the mother of pearl globes.

When mother of pearl is broken down into individual components it is actually formed from calcium carbonate  similar to chalk, a common material used to write on black boards. This may seem unflattering to what is an expensive and precious material, but the way that mother of pearl is formed tells a better story of how mother of pearl has come to be considered a precious material.

Tiny layers of calcium carbonate smaller and thinner that the eye can see and layered on top and side by side each other. These are jointed together by a matrix of organic material formed by the mollusc (in our case Oyster) itself. A good way to imagine mother of pearl is to think of the tiles that one might see in a bathroom in layers, one of top of another. This is a very simple yet beautifully organised pattern that creates the shimmer effect that makes mother of pearl so appealing.

Jasper
Jasper is a form of silica and can have a variety of different colours; red, yellow, brown, green and even blue.

Jasper breaks with a smooth surface, this is an excellent ornamental quality hence Jasper is a widely used material in gemstone products. As can be seen in the picture above Jasper is a very deep and beautiful material, perfect for globes. It can also be highly polished to increase its visual effect.

Jasper means "spotted or speckled stone", and is derived ultimately from Persian.

Winkel Triple Protection Globes/ Maps

Winkel Triple Protection (Winkel III) is a map projection.

It is used in order to try to translate an image of the earth from a 3D sphere as seen on a globe, to a rectangular map.

As discussed in other pages it is impossible to translate a globes visual cartography onto a 2D rectangle such as a map without directional and spatial distortion making maps less accurate the some world globes.

Complicated mathematical equations are used and integrated into software which aims to minimise the distortion effects created during map production.

There are many different mathematical techniques used to create maps each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

This page aims to help you decide which type of map you would like to buy, or if you would like to buy a globe.

The Winkel III projection was given its name by Oswald Winkel who proposed the projection in 1921.

This map projection technique measures 9th of 100 most accurate map projections. It produces only little distortion of country size and produces small distance errors between countries.

In 1998 Winkel III projection maps replaced the robinson projection as the standard projection for world maps made the National Geographic. Many of which are features on our site. www.JustGlobes.co.uk/world_maps.html.

Winkel III is unusual in that it is created by averaging the X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) coordinates from the two other seldom-used projections: the Equirectangular and the Aitoff. this creates slightly curved lines of projection which makes a better model of spherical cartography than if the lines were parallel as it the Mercator projection.

As mentioned before there will always be distortion on a map that would never be present on a world globe. Each projection technique has its downsides.

The major downside of the Winkel III projection is that it is not an equivalent map projection thus it suffers from compression. This means that some parts of the world, especially the polar regions toward the east and west of a map are slightly distorted.

Mercator Projection Map/Globe

Nothing displaying the Earth's cartography can be as accurate as a globe. This is a fact.

There is no way to represent the Earth on a flat surface without distorting some of the elements of the world. Maps however are still very popular and can still be educational. World maps can also make excellent furniture in a living room or hall way. For these reasons here at JustGlobes we have created a "World Maps" link on the left hand side of the site and under the "products" tab at the top of the site.

We have selected what we feel are the best world maps from a number of different suppliers. Also we have a range large enough to suit most tastes and budgets. From childrens maps featuring hundreds of animals as well as country names etc to maps of the Milky Way and the rest of the universe, from satellite cartography to a wide range of projection maps.

This particular page focuses on the Mercator projection that is used on a number of maps today. The use of a projection is to translate the cartography on a world globe onto a flat surface, at the same time minimising the distortion that would occur in the process.

The Mercator projection was first presented by a Belgian geographer and cartographer called Gerardus Mercator, in 1569. It became the standard map projection for nautical purposes due to its ability to present lines of constant course as straight segments. It also keeps a constant linear scale thus preserving the angles and shapes of small objects.

The downside of the Mercator projection is that the relative size of countries away from the equator gets progressively more inaccurate. For example Greenland appears larger than Africa when in fact Africa is 4 times larger.

The Mercator projection is still widely used in countries by the equator as distortion is negligible at these points.

Interestingly Google Maps uses a variant of the Mercator projection for its map images. Despite the aforementioned flaws of the Mercator projection it is well-suited to an interactive world map that can be zoomed easily to large scale local maps.

Many people today still prefer the Mercator maps to other maps as they were likely present in classrooms in the late 20^th century. 

Peters Projection Maps

At JustGlobes we are proud to be able to offer a large range of maps, as well as globes.

Maps can never be as accurate, or as detailed as a globe. This is because it is simply impossible to fully represent a sphere in a 2D rectangle shape. However many different techniques have been produced over the years in order to minimise spatial and directional distortion created when representing a globe on a map. This is important to map enthusiasts world wide as it can be interesting to see the differences in country size and shape depending on the technique or "projection" used.

One very popular globe to map correctional projection is called the peters projection. This page aims to describe the various benefits and drawbacks of this particular projection.

The Peters projection, named after Arno Peters, is one specialization of a configurable equal-area map projection. It is sometimes referred to as a cylindrical equal-area projection.

This projection achieved considerable notoriety in the late 20th century as the centrepiece of a controversy surrounding the political implications of map design. This was because the relative sizes of countries can change slightly when using a projection to represent a globe in 2D.

The Peters projection works by placing two parallel lines across the map. They must be identical distances from their nearest poles, in this case one parallel line is 45 degrees from each pole. Between these lines 36 evenly spaces circles are placed in three rows of 12. Outside of the lines 2 rows of 12 circles are evenly spaced (one for each parallel line).

A mathematical formula is used which distorts each evenly spaced circle by exactly the same amount. This distortion represents the 360 degrees of rotation around a sphere.

It is due to this even distortion that Peters himself argues makes his projection for map creation the most accurate.

Peters World Map


Arno Peters was an amateur historian. He devised a map based on a Gall's orthographic projection in 1967 and presented it as a new invention in 1973. Some argued that this was not suitably different to the original creators in 1855 to warrant being a new invention, but the Peters project map was created nonetheless.

Peters presented his map as a superior alternative to the dominantly used Mercator projection map at the time. The Mercator projection was originally designed for navigation but was at the time used in world maps.

The weakness of the Mercator project is that is that it increasingly inflates the size of countries as the distance from the equator increases. This leads Greenland to appear as the size of Africa when in reality Africa is 14 times larger.

Since much of the technologically undeveloped world lies on or around the equator, they appear smaller and therefore less significant on a Mercator map.

By contrast to this the Peters projection map shows areas of equal size on a globe as equally sized on a map. Restoring less powerful countries to their correct proportions. This reasoning has been picked up by many educational institutions and similarly concerned groups.

The downside of the Peters projection map is that to many it looks different and unfamiliar leading people to believe that it is less accurate than it actually is. Also it suffers from extreme distortion at the polar regions making it useless for all those interested in the coldest places on earth.

The Company Behind Globes

At JustGlobes we try, where ever possible to list the manufacturer on each item to give the globes on our site more of an identity. This helps our customers choose from a given brand if they like certain attributes on a globe only available from a given brand. This maybe the raised relief on the Replogle world globes for example, these globes boast the most impressive raised relief available.

what few people know is that many globe manufacturers are owned by the same parent company. This company has purchased each manufacturer so that it can offer a complete and full range of globes for all tastes and markets, with the goal of capturing close to 100% of globe sales across the world.

This company is called Herff Jones.

Herff Jones has a rich history, whether it is globes, graduation clothing or even super bowl winners rings.

Harry Herf and Randall Jones, who began their business in an old fire engine building on Capitol avenue in Indianapolis, founded the company in 1920. The company names were organised alphabetically.

The core business of the young Herff Jones was class rings, pins and emblematic jewellery such as medals in the US.

During the 1940's, after America had joined world war 2, Herf Jones modified their business strategy and focussed on supporting the war effort. Herf Jones produced bullet dies and the bronze star, which is a military decoration given to members of the United states Armed Forces for bravery, act of merit or meritorious service. Producing this metal was such a huge honour for Herf Jones, doing so elevated the brand name significantly.

You may think that this has has little to do with globes, but such a company, with a history of providing personalised items and medals to the military for bravery would come to strive toward the same ideals as the globe manufacturers Cram and Replogle world globes.

Over the years Herff Jones has expanded to supply schools all over the world with yearbooks, graduation accessories, diplomas, school photography educational learning materials.

Herff Jones found that school equipment was both a lucrative and rewarding market. Among many educational learning materials, globes were considered extremely important. Herff Jones purchased Cram and later Replogle world globes along with many other globe manufacturers.

Cram globes such as the Bradley and the Hanover are designed with the education market in mind. Catering mainly for schools whereas Replogle world globes caters for everything from very young children to antique style home desktop globes to fine furniture present in the oval office of the white house.

Thanks to Herff Jones for the information.

George F. Cram Globes

George Franklin Cram as a company goes back to the US civil war. George himself was a veteran of the US civil war. Once he left the army in march 1867, George and his uncle founded Cram, the company. At first the company manufactured atlas's and maps. They were in fact the first map and atlas publisher to use relief on maps, a type of shading that represents the height of mountains or the depth of oceans. George Cram created the worlds most popular atlas called "unrivalled atlas of the world" which printed from the 1880's all the way until 1952.

George eventually sold his company to one of his largest customers, E.A. Peterson of the National Map Company. He later passed away in 1928 at the age of 86.

In 1932 Cram, still bearing Georges name, began producing world globes like the above. In 1936, the company moved again to 730 E Washington street in Indianapolis.

Cram specialised in educational products for schools from 1937 until 1966, becoming the first American company to sell mainly into education. It is thanks to Cram that most children in America and now in England have globes in their classrooms.

In modern times Cram is still the worlds leading educational world globe supplier. Cram globes are available all over the world, now available as floorstanding models. Look out for the pale cream ocean on the globe to determine that it is a cram globe.

Frank Lloyd Wright Globes

Frank Lloyd Wright Globes

Frank Lloyd Wright is quite simply the greatest architect in American history. He was an inspirational figure for all architects to aspire to become. He had the famous quote "every architect is - necessarily - a great poet. He must be a great original interpreter of his time, his day, his age".

He was born in Wisconsin in 1867, Frank Lloyd Wright on 8th June 1867 in Richland Centre. Frank was not just an architect, he was an educator and interior designer also. He designed more than 1000 projects in his lifetime and converted over 500 percent into completed works. This 50% success rate is simply unheard of today. In 1991 Architectural magazine published a list of the 100 most significant buildings in the world. Frank Lloyd Wright had designed 11 of them. His legacy is something that the whole world can treasure and his title as the greatest American architect of all time was officially recognised by the American institute of Architects in 1991. In 1940 Frank himself established his own foundation in order to preserve and protect his life's work. Such is its importance in American history.

As has been mentioned before in this page, Frank Lloyd Wright did a lot more than design buildings, he also designed the interiors of his own as well as other buildings. He also designed furniture, for example the Barrel chair whose design is obvious in the above globe simply call the barrel.

Frank loved to design residential properties, enjoying the challenges of meeting extremely precise and exact specifications provided by the customers. At the time (between 1900-1917) his designs were known as "prairie houses", this is now known as a style known for its flat or low sloping roofs and horizontal lines. Such houses are also seamlessly integrated within their location and landscape creating a harmonious view. Frank Lloyd Wright also incorporated lots of Japanese ideas into his design. This helped shape his work and many believe gave him the inspiration to create work based around straight, mostly horizontal lines.

Perhaps Franks most famous design is the interior of the Guggenheim museum in New York. This took over 15 years to design and create and is a masterpiece of interior design and engineering. It is also one of the best known museums in New York city. The museum itself overlooks central park. On the inside the building rises as an off-white spiral. The museum incorporates paintings all along the spiral towards the top of the building where an elevator can be taken to the bottom again. the most beautiful part of the museum design is that there is an open floor in the centre from which the whole spiral can be seen winding to the top of the building.

In 2009 the Frank Lloyd Wright foundation was approached by Replogle World Globes, the worlds premium globe manufacturer as Frank Lloyd Wright was passionate about fine furniture and Replogle globes are the worlds finest globe incorporated furniture.

The Frank Lloyd Wright foundation unearthed many drawings from their archives including the globe seen at the top of this page. This globe is based on a design that never went into production. Replogle used drawings, artwork and Franks buildings and interior designs to create a range of designer globes designed to to be style pieces with no compromise on furniture quality. All the world globes featured in the Frank Lloyd Wright range have bases made from solid hardwood and are all officially recognised by the foundation. These illustrious world globes start from around £200, a small price to pay for a designer furniture item.

What Globes Teach Us About Earth

Why is learning about the world useful?


You may well have heard the phrase "the world is growing smaller". This phrase came about due to the massive increase in communication technologies such as the internet and various social networking applications now in use worldwide. This ability to communicate instantly with anyone across the globe as if they were sitting next to us has given people a yearning to understand where places are. Iran, North Korea, Israel and many other countries are constantly covered in the news. In our experience over the last 5 years it is not common to know whereabouts these countries are in the world in relation to us in the UK. A world globe is the ideal tool for learning all about countries and place names, and also makes a great addition to a home.

A globe represents a our Earth in miniature. A 3D representation that we can all identify with. In order to fully understand geographical information we need to have a clear picture of the whole Earth in front of us.  Because a world globe is spherical and 3D it portrays true comparisons of size, location, shape, direction and distance. Flat maps, or atlases show the Earth's features poorly and have spatial and directional distortion, this is unavoidable when representing a spherical object with a flat plane.

Although some globes feature a raised relief feature, where mountains can be felt as bumps on the surface, it should be understood that these are highly accentuated as mount Everest would be less than the thickness of a great of sand on top of the globe in literal context.

For the proper understanding of political geography and in some cases physical features as well as achieving a better grasp on world news locations, nothing can be better than a globe.

At JustGlobes it is our goal to have a globe in every home, office and classroom. even in libraries.

National Geographic Globes

"Globes for the 21st Century"

No matter which National Geographic world globe model takes your eye, you can be assured you will receive a globe with an advantage over most other globes, its cartography.

National Geographic world globes have exclusive cartography that many find appealing. The countries are very pale, almost white, with coloured borders when the globe is unlit. When the globe is lit the countries become bright and some physical features become more apparent. This is a unique form of the dual mapping feature that many of the globes on our site have. Also in 2011 most National Geographic globes have 13" balls. This is opposed to the normal 12" size. This may not sound like a large difference but when put side by side it is clear that the 13" ball is more visually impressive, certainly when illuminated than a standard 12" globe.

All National Geographic globes on JustGlobes are illuminated, in order to best make advantage of the aforementioned unique cartography. Illuminated globes have their cartography printed onto a plastic material that is stretched over the ball that can never wear off. This does produce an amount of spacial and directional distortion not found on non illuminated globes but is minimised by National Geographic software.

National Geographic globes are in 2011 made in Germany to extremely high manufacturing quality control standards. The world globe balls are made from shock resistant vinyl, extremely tough.

Each National Geographic globe features a time dial at the north pole with allows the easy determination of time throughout the world. The annotations and other text on the globe balls are created using the National Geographic font which is the same as the National Geographic maps (also available on JustGlobes) and the National Geographic magazine.

Margarete Steiff, a Short Biography Part 2

Margaret Steiff, A Short Biography Part 2

As a young adult Margarete Steiff had started a dressmaking company with her two older sisters. This was started in a converted study on the ground floor of the family home. After her two older sisters married, she was the only Steiff still dressmaking. A manufacturer at a local felt factory Wilhelm Adolf Glatz married into the Steiff family and employed Margarete. This family connection allowed her to still work from her home and employ assistants to replace her two sisters. Wilhelm Glatz was a distinguished businessman, who is credited with encouraging Margarete to run her own business.

Wilhelm and Margarete Steiff were a successful combination as the felt produced at Wilhelm's factory was used to create ladies petticoats and children's coats. Sales increased year on year. This transformed the first floor of the Steiff family home into a little factory.

Over the years Margarete's brother Fritz Steiff became father to six sons and of course Margarete was the favourite Aunt. 

Members of the Steiff family have always noted the special relationships Margarete created with the children of her family. She seemed to have a gift for using humour to make children more at ease. This family atmosphere permeated throughout the little factory and the Steiff home. It has been noted that working there was like working with your best friends. 

In 1880 the story of Steiff as a company really began. Margarete Steiff herself noticed a felt elephant in a fashion magazine and decided to make eight to give as Christmas presents. These were of course extremely beautiful and were gratefully received by all 8 recipients.

These hand made felt elephants soon became the talk of the factory floor. Everyone wanted one of Margarete's little creations. This prompted the elephant to become a stock item at the factory. Elephants were created whenever demand for dressed left sufficient time.

Margarete's brother Fritz Steiff came up with an idea to sell them at the market in Heidenheim, two sacks of the animals were sent with him to use in this experiment.

Soft toy animals had never been invented at this point, thus they were an instant success and completely sold out. 

As Margarete clearly had a talent for design as well as production, she was asked to create other soft toy animals. She created a kitten, lifelike dogs and a little pink pig. The Steiff family workshop became a "factory for felt articles and toys".

Fritz Steiff continued to be the one to inspire his sister to create new and innovative designs. He arranged to exhibit the first Steiff articles  in a display of export samples in Stuttgart in 1883. Every year the business expanded rapidly prompting new designs and new models. This little company quickly became more important to Margarete and Fritz than the dressmaking. To give an example of the rapid growth Margarete invested 1460 marks for felt in 1886, 3700 marks in 1888 and 5070 marks in 1890.

Fritz Steiff took over his fathers building company in 1888 and soon persuaded Margarete to move from her cramped little factory in the Steiff home into a house with business premises purpose built to her requirements.

It had living space on the second floor where Margarete could see outside due to a large bay window. the soft felt toys were sold in the corner shop on the ground floor with its two display windows.

The firm that came to be called Steiff continued its positive growth for the years that followed. The first catalogue was produced in 1892. By this time the small felt animals which had originally only been elephants were not monkeys, a donkey, a camel, a horse, a mouse, a pig, a cat, a dog, a giraffe and a rabbit as well as elephants.

This small soft toy manufacturer was first entered in the commercial register as "Margarete Steiff, Filzwarenfabrik Giengen/Brenz" [Margarete Steiff, Felt goods factory Giengen/Brenz] on the 3rd March 1893.

Margarete worked on her passion with an iron will. In 1894 she was invited to St Gallen by a major toy dealer. Shortly afterwards, order started coming in from all over Germany. From Berlin to Rothenburg, and then from abroad.

When her brothers six sons reached adulthood she asked each of them to join the company. 5 of them were willing to do so and initially learned professions that suited their respective inclinations - designer, engineers and management experts. This was now truly a family run and managed business.

Leading up to Margaretes Death

The first representative began to present samples of Steiff products in 1894/95 - in addition to the goods produced by another company. The animals were also among those sold in Berlin businesses. Richard Steiff, Fritz's second oldest son, joined the company in 1897.

Richard Steiff had always been close to his Aunt from childhood. He fitted in perfectly with the whole operation, he combined genuine business acumen with high levels of creativity. He had attended art school in Stuttgart before going to university in England. 

Accompanied by another member of staff, Richard Steiff represented Steiff at the Leipzig trade fair, at the time the turn over of the company was 90000 marks.

Richards brothers, Franz, Otto, Hugo and Paul, then joined Steiff one after the other with varying responsibilities from sales to manufacturing technology. Margarete still kept track of the company as a whole.

Margarete left nothing to chance. Steiff was her company and her reputation. She made herself personally responsible for reviewing work routines, motivation and quality control. At this point she still made most of the prototypes herself and was extremely critical of the products that Steiff produced. This is part of how Steiff became the symbol of quality in the soft toy industry.

Margarete was well aware that her soft toy animals were sold for the purpose of entertaining children thus she imposed stringent requirements on the quality of products. Her motto was always "The best is just good enough for our children".

Correspondingly only the best, highest quality materials were used. Animals were initially stuffed with sheep's wool, which was then replaced with wood shavings in the 1890's.

Even in the first Steiff catalogue the filling material was described as "soft, light and pure" (no animal hair, sawdust or cork waste). The Steiff soft toy animals were first introduced to Europe and then America.

Unfortunately for Margarete her beloved brother Fritz Steiff passed away in 1900, after this it was her relationship with her nephews that gave her the strength to drive the business forward. Richard in particular introduced many new products and came up with lots of ideas for increased production and quality, though Margarete still made most of the models herself.

Steiff was such a success that the factory was moved in 1903 to a two-storey building made almost entirely from concrete and glass with a ramp for easy wheelchair access to the second floor. Margaret was driven to the factory every day. She checked the products and colours. She applied finishing touches with a spray gun and went to see the employees who stuffed and stitched the animals. Her dedication was always absolute.

In 1902, Richard Steiff developed a new type of soft toy; with jointed arms and legs and proper fur made from mohair plush and glass eyes. At first Margarete questioned whether there was a market for relatively expensive animals, she also originally considered bears a bit ungainly.

This was a huge risk for Steiff as this teddy bear was much more expensive than the other animals and if the bear did not sell its production and stock would have cost Steiff a fortune and damaged the company.

In spite of Margaretes reservations she allowed Richard Steiff to persuade her and the bear was produced, though without success initially. They were first displayed at the Leipzig trade fair when an American bought all 3000 of them at last minute.

Bear PB became a smash hit at the World Exhibition in St. Louis. 12000 bears were sold, Margarete and Richard each received a gold medal and the Grand Prix – the highest prize possible – was awarded to the company.

Production increased to 1.7 million toy animals between 1903 and 1907. Steiff now had 400 workers on premises and 1800 women working from home. The Jointed bear set off on his march of conquest in America. Later he was named “teddy bear” by US president Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt in 1906.

In 1907 competition soon necessitated the implementation of new measures. Nobody wanted to become involved in a price war and the Steiff family started looking ways to let people know when they were buying a Steiff bear and not a lesser imitation.

Franz Steiff came up with the idea of riveting a button to one ear of each animal. The “Button in Ear” was born. This is the trademark of a real Steiff animal today, over 100 years later.

Steiff hit hard times in 1908 as the American economy became under pressure. Orders were cancelled and large quantities of finished bears were turned away.

Margarete went through the upswing and the crisis full of activity. She was growing noticeably wear, though, and could often be seen sitting at her window, watching the comings and goings in the company from there. She seemed to know that her life was coming to an end.

Margarete Steiff was just 61 years old when she dies on 9^th April 1909. What had originally seemed to be a hopeless life became a shining example of what can be achieved with courage, strength, willpower and most of all heart.

The Steiff family, the staff and the people of Giengen found it difficult to get over her death.

Steiff the company continued on without her right through to today. They are an example to company the world over who are trying to create quality items.

Why Buy a Globe?

Buy a Globe

Deciding to buy a globe as a gift for yourself or someone else is an excellent decision. There is really no substitute for the 3 dimensional replica of our earth. Buy a globe for anyone you know who shares your world view. Globes also make excellent anniversary and christening gifts.

"A GLOBE IN EVERY HOME" 

JustGlobes presents the UK's best selection of globes. We believe that a globe is the perfect gift and that a globe given as a gift will be treasured for decades. Many of our customers have often had one themselves for 20 years or more and think that it is such an integral part of their home that their friend or relative should also have one.

BUY A GLOBE BY SIZE 

Globes are measured by diameter, meaning the distance straight through the middle of the globe. Most globes are manufactured in standard sizes:
Small Globes: 9"
Medium Desk Globes: 12" and 13" (a couple of 16" models available)
Medium Floor Globes 12" and 13"
Large Globes: 16"
Extra Large Globes: 20", 25", 32" and 40"

BUY A GLOBE THAT IS ILLUMINATED OR NOT?

Illuminated globes allow a lovely, ambient light to radiate softly from the globe. A lit illuminated globe makes a beautiful night light in any room or provides mood lighting for a romantic night in.
Illuminated globe balls are made of vinyl, so that the light can show through the translucent sphere, this is usually a much better material than glass as its lower refractive index and purer transparency provides a better passage for light to pass through it. A couple of glass models are manufactured, one is called the Black Forest and the other is called the Bremen. They are made from extra thick glass to decrease fragility. They are stunning to look but are high end products that may need to be made to order.
Illuminated globes do include an electrical cord that will plug into the wall. This will dictate where you place the globe (near an outlet) and will restrict the movement or spinning action of the globe to a certain extent. All illuminated globes currently on the market are mains powered. In the near future battery powered models may become available.

BUY A GLOBE THAT IS POLITICAL

Political globes are globes that feature countries in solid blocks of color, usually with extensive labeling. Most of our globes are considered political. the advantage of political globes is that they clearly and accurately display the country boundaries. This is popular as the main reason for many people wanting a globe is so that they can clearly see where each country is, where it ends and begins. this yields secondary advantages. Political maps as described above feature countries in a multitude of different colours so that each country can be differentiated from its neighbours. This produces more vibrant and often more colourful cartography.

BUY A GLOBE THAT IS PHYSICAL 

Physical globes use color to illustrate the natural colors of the earth. Climate conditions and landforms are shown with colouration. This greatly enhances features such as forests, deserts and mountainous regions. This is viewed by many customers as a more natural view of the Earth. Physical mapping appeals to being more interested in the Earth geographically. Non illuminated physical globes for example the Atlantis feature impressive raised relief, where ocean depths appear as grooves on the surface of the globe and mountains appear as bumps on the surface. Illuminated physical globes usually have a dual mapping feature so that when the globe is non illuminated it is physical but once illuminated all the countries light up in different colours.

BUY A GLOBE THAT HAS A BLUE OCEAN

Most people think of the earth with oceans of blue. Of course in real life oceans only appear blue as a reflection of the sky, nonetheless this is our perception of ocean and sea colour.
We recommend blue ocean globes for kids and students predominantly as they help nurture a geographic understanding that is needed for school. In very large floorstanding globes a blue ocean also looks extremely impressive visually. Blue ocean globes are typically more educationally oriented. For example the Pioneer is an exception children's globe, with the same level of detail as an adults globe and full gyroscopic rotation, so that all parts of the globe a more easily viewed.

BUY A GLOBE THAT HAS AN ANTIQUE OCEAN

Antique oceans refer to the colour of kraft paper which results in an antique look to the globe. These globes feature current cartography and are brown in colour. Antique ocean globes are most popular for home and office décor as they integrate more easily into an environment without standing out. Antique ocean globes, especially desktop models are often more attractive as furniture pieces than blue ocean models. Antique ocean models feature the same amount of detail as a blue ocean globe but are much more oriented towards looking visually presentable than to encourage education. Antique ocean desktop globes are often slightly more expensive than blue ocean globes because of their use as furniture items. The Exeter for example is an extremely popular desktop globe. It has many advantages. The antique colour and styling make it a very attractive office or home addition, it has raised mountainous regions. The Exeter like many antique style globes features a solid hardwood base, stained a walnut colour and a champagne style, high quality metal meridian (that will never rust) as well as over 4000 place names. Globes like the Exeter make antique ocean globes the most popular at JustGlobes.
 
BUY A GLOBE WITH RAISED RELIEF

Raised relief globes feature texture on the globes surface to indicate the earths terrain. Mountain ranges and sometimes under sea features as well are presented in raised and indented relief. Most non illuminated globes on JustGlobes.co.uk have this often essential feature as well as some select illuminated globes. Such illuminated globes are well sought after for example the Carlyle and the Livingston. 


BUY A GEMSTONE GLOBE

Gemstone Globes have become a highly prized gift item, featuring globes made entirely of gemstones. Oceans of ground Blue Lapis lazuli, Black agate, Mother of pearl and others surround continents that consist of hand-carved gemstone countries. The gemstone countries are fitted with skill and precision, creating a colourful and fascinating mosaic.
A wonderfully rich and extravagant gift for someone who means the world to you.

BUY A REPRODUCTION GLOBE

Popular for use in home or office décor, Old World Globes feature historic cartographic reproductions in a variety of sizes.
Ideal gifts for anyone interested in history.
Charming accents for any setting.

BUY AN OLD WORLD BAR GLOBE

Beautiful reproduction cartography, combined with a functional cabinet for bottles and glasses.
Great for entertaining, providing a dramatic focal point for any gathering.

BUY A GLOBE ONLINE

Choose from a wide selection of globes without leaving your home.
A globe makes an ideal gift and there's a globe for everyone at www.JustGlobes.co.uk