Miron® violet glass deepdive
A history of protection
For centuries, people have searched for ways to protect valuable natural substances. From ancient storage vessels to modern packaging systems, the goal has been to preserve quality, stability, and integrity over time. The materials and methods have evolved. The underlying question has not: how do we better protect what we value?
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A continuing pursuit
The history of preservation is also a history of adaptation. As products, trade routes, and societies evolved, new methods emerged to safeguard what people valued most.
The value of preservation
Protecting what mattered
Throughout history, some products were considered too valuable to leave unprotected. Fragrances, botanical extracts, medicinal preparations, oils, and rare ingredients often represented significant investments of time, knowledge, craftsmanship, and trade.
The principle remains relevant today. The value created through cultivation, formulation, and craftsmanship does not end when production is complete. The qualities that make a product valuable can continue to be influenced by the conditions surrounding it throughout storage, transport, and use.
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A changing world
Historically, many natural products were consumed close to their place and season of origin.
Today, products often travel much farther before they are used. Products once consumed within local and seasonal cycles now move through global supply chains and remain available year-round.
This creates new preservation challenges. Packaging therefore became more than a means of transport. It became part of the environment surrounding the product itself.
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Ancient glassmaking
The emergence of colored glass
Colored glass has been produced for thousands of years. Archaeological discoveries show that ancient civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome developed sophisticated glassmaking techniques. These vessels were used for cosmetics, oils, perfumes, medicines, and other valuable preparations.
Among the discoveries are blue and cobalt-colored vessels known for their craftsmanship, color, and distinctive forms. While their exact purposes varied, they reflect an early appreciation for dedicated storage and the handling of valuable substances.
Many of these vessels remain remarkably intact today.They offer a glimpse into how earlier societies stored and protected valuable products.
Image source: The British Museum
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Ideas across generations
Light, color, and preservation
As scientific understanding evolved, researchers, inventors, and philosophers increasingly explored how environmental conditions influence living systems.
During the nineteenth century, publications began examining the effects of light, color, and environmental exposure on plants, agriculture, and natural processes. These works reflected a growing curiosity about the relationship between light and life.
For more than a century, researchers have investigated how different regions of the light spectrum interact with biological materials.
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Today, modern plant science shows that different wavelengths of light can influence biological processes in measurable ways. Research in greenhouse horticulture has shown that specific regions of the light spectrum can affect plant growth, development, flowering, and other biological functions.
While many nineteenth-century interpretations were later revised, the broader question remained: does the quality of light matter?
Over the following decades, advances in physics, plant science, and photobiology revealed that different regions of the light spectrum interact with living systems in different ways.
Researchers began studying not only the intensity of light, but also its spectral composition. They explored how ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths influence biological materials.
What began as an early curiosity evolved into a field of scientific investigation. Today, selective light transmission is studied in applications ranging from greenhouse cultivation and food preservation to packaging materials and optical technologies.
A source of inspiration
Jakob Lorber and the origin of Miron
The name Miron traces back to the writings of Austrian author and visionary Jakob Lorber (1800-1864).
In his work Die natürliche Sonne (1842), Lorber described a distant planet beyond Uranus that he called Miron, meaning World of Wonders. Several years later, astronomers officially discovered Neptune in that same outer region of the solar system.
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Years later, Lorber wrote about violet glass as a vessel for solar energy and preservation. He described a method in which natural substances were exposed to direct sunlight and then stored in dark violet glass. According to Lorber, products prepared in this way absorbed and retained photons from sunlight. He believed they became solar-enriched and could be preserved for decades.
These ideas left a lasting impression on the people who would later become involved with Miron. The themes of light, preservation, and transformation resonated with their own experiences and observations.
When the company was founded, the name Miron was chosen to reflect that inspiration. Today, it continues to symbolize a fascination with the relationship between light, nature, and preservation. That pursuit remains at the heart of Miron's philosophy.
From inspiration to practice
A quest worth exploring
Long before Miron became an international packaging company, it was part of a personal search. A son's desire to help his mother ultimately led him to the violet glass that would later shape Miron's story.
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When Evert de Boer’s mother Eelkje faced serious health challenges, he began exploring natural approaches to health and well-being. This journey led them to Portugal, where they experienced the role of sunlight, nutrition, and natural remedies in daily life. Over time, Eelkje’s health gradually improved.
During this period, Evert encountered Miron violet glass and became fascinated by its unique properties and the philosophy behind it. What started as curiosity grew into a long-term commitment.
Together, mother and son helped support the development of Project Miron, expanding the production of Sun Healing Remedies and the violet glass used to store them. Over time, Evert became more involved in the company and helped grow it into an international business focused on protecting valuable natural products.
Today, Miron remains a family-owned company inspired by the same fascination that shaped its beginnings: the relationship between light, nature, and preservation.
The principle remains
Protection as a continuing pursuit
Natural products often require years of cultivation, sourcing, formulation, and craftsmanship. Their value is built over time.
But the challenge does not end when production is complete. For as long as people have stored valuable natural products, they have faced the same reality: nature continues to act upon them.
Light, oxygen, moisture, heat, and time all play a role in shaping how products evolve. The history of preservation is, in many ways, a history of learning how to manage that relationship.
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Looking forward
Preserving natural value
For centuries, people have searched for ways to protect valuable natural substances from the influences of their environment.
At Miron, that same principle guides our work today. We help brands protect the value created through cultivation, sourcing, formulation, and craftsmanship so products can continue their journey with greater care.
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Sources
Boundaries and references
Ancient Egyptian Glass Vessel (Thutmose III Period)
The British Museum. Core-formed glass vessel, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, reign of Thutmose III (c. 1479-1425 BCE).
Collection Online. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA47620
Blue and Sun-Lights: Their Influence Upon Life, Disease &c.
Pleasonton, Gen. A. J. (1876).
Advances in Light Manipulation in Greenhouse Horticulture: the Innovative Smart Covers
Zamani, F., Duri, L.G., Mori, M., & Paradiso, R. (2024).
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12537742/
Die natürliche Sonne
Lorber, J. (1842).
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