G is for Glass

G is for Glass

Today, I am writing mostly about decorative glassware, the kind one acquires and collects.  There is a type of glass for every budget; old and new, plain and fancy, decorative and functional.  If you are a glass collector read on.

There are a number of definitions for Glass, but for the sake of antiques and collectibles, I will go with the combination of a couple from my favorite dictionary:  Merriam-Webster.  Glass is a hard material, often transparent or translucent, made by melting silica sand.  Much of the early examples of glass have a greenish tint, because the silica with with it was made contained iron impurities.  Glass examples have been found dating back to 3500 BC in Egypt and Mespotamia.  There have been some glass beads found in Egypt that date to about 3100 BC.  The first glass however, is believed to be black volcanic glass called obsidian (hardened magma).  Even though the process was extremely slow, ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians made tools, weapons and some decorative items out of glass.

The art of glass blowing (began in Syria, around the first century BC) made glass production easier and more simple.  As technology does today, the knowledge of glass making spread around the ancient world, and more uses of glass were found and invented.

Early Obsidian tool

Online Auction dot com (OLA) has eight auction categories for glass in addition to the general antiques collectibles categories:  1950s to Present; Art Glass; Carnival Glass; Crystal; Depression Glass; Early American Pattern Glass (EAPG); and the General Glass category.  Below are some OLA Glass auctions that caught my eye today.

 1880s Northwood Custard Glass Sugar Dish (no lid)

Pink depression glass bowl

Green Depression Glass Serving dish

Thanks for your interest in collecting...and for shopping on OLA!

Until next time, happy shopping!

Chloe