With the perfectly clear faceted crystal found in a crystal rose, it easily picks up the light and reflects stunning prisms around any room its in. And, a single crystal rose gift couldn't be more perfect as a lasting symbol of love.
There are a number of different types of wild roses which can be found growing throughout the Northern Hemisphere; anywhere from swampy landscapes all the way to the desert. There are two groups of roses, however, both of which grew in different places in the world, which have had the greatest impact on rose history: the Asian species and their hybrids and the European/Mediterranean species and their hybrids.
European roses are made up of Albas, Gallicas, Damasks, Damask Perpetuals, Mosses, and Centifolias while the Asian rose groups are the Chinas and the Teas. The roses of European origin bloom only once in a season per year (with the exception of one species) while the Asian rose species repeat their blooms on a continual basis. Since very early in history, the European/Mediterranean roses have been both loved and grown; in Egyptian tombs, wreaths of Damask-like roses have been uncovered while the same type of rose had also been grown in eastern Africa in holy places. Festivals that were held in both Green and Roman times included roses in them. The Romans actually developed a technology for a hot-house in which they were able to 'force' roses to bloom more often and, they also imported roses from Egypt.
The Damask, Gallica, and Alba roses, were all used for religious purposes during the Middle Ages; not only as decorations in holy festivals but also as part of medicinal gardens. When the Middle ages ended and the merchant class began to rise, trade in horticultural material began to take off. Thanks to their many trading ships, and the area in which they were located, the Netherlands were once (and continue to be) a major center of business for the horticultural industry. They traded in Carnations, Tulips, and Hyacinths, to name a few, and with rose trade they also developed something new: growing roses from seeds (prior to this, roses had generally been grown from cuttings). With this, the possibility of variation in roses became a reality. While not very much information is available as to how the Dutch went about the process of achieving different types of roses, it is a fact that at one time there were just 10 rose cultivars in the period up to about 1810. And, after that, one to two hundred became available with an entirely new group of roses � Centifolias � being created thanks to arbitrary breeding.
With a a crystal rose you don't have the option of choosing a specific species of rose as you would when planting the real thing. You do, however, get to choose the color and shape (open or closed blooms) of the crystal rose � all things to be considered when giving it as a gift.
