In 1967, after a short time in the local Scottish Police force, John Deacons took a job as an apprentice glassmaker with Strathearn Glass. Trained by Jack Allen, Dave Moir, and Herbert Dreier, John was part of the small team who left in 1968 to form Perthshire Paperweights under Stuart Drysdale. Ten years later, In 1978 the master glassmaker left Perthshire to form ‘J’ Glass, named not after, John, but a "J" millefiore cane in a Bohemian weight he saw in a fancy International auction. Deacons wanted the lamp work to resemble antique Baccarat weights. Allan Scott made the lamp work on John's kitchen table. The company grew quickly, but as the result of the recession of 1983, the doors were closed.