Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: david31162 on September 21, 2013, 05:48:17 PM
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My guess was Amberina but I have never seen a piece so its a complete guess. Can anyone help?
I'd love to find a lamp to try it out.
Thank you ,
David
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Amberina yes, but it doesn't look like an oil lamp shade to me
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when amberina is refired, can it shade with quite that precise clear cut break between the red and yellow? Examples in the books are shown with a blurred transition. Must admit I know nothing of the beast other than what I see in books. :)
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Thank you Paul and Lustrousstone for your confirmation of amberina.(Good to know I'm getting to know a wider range of glass too).
What else do you think it could be Lustrousstone? I was fairly confident about its purpose.
David
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David - just to clarify, I wasn't confirming this as amberina - although it may well be, and Lustrousstone knows 100% more on this subject than me - it's just that that very clear line of separation of the two colours had me a bit confused. The books show pix of amberina as shading rather than having such a distinct break as this one.
Is it as clearly defined as I think, or am I in need of going to Specsavers, again, and the two colours do actually shade gradually.
I would suggest a shade of some sort, but for what I've no idea. Where did you source this one David?
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Thanks Paul,
It is a defined but not a sharp line without any real gradation between colours. I really like it as it is a good strong red and an olive green. One of those keepers you want to find a prominent use for.
I bought it at a carboot sale in Suffolk, but it came with some other good glass. I'm certain these were the remnants from an auction of a glass collectors estate.
Done well at carboots recently.. several good pieces bought at one on the way to the Cambridge glass fair today.
Is amberina a general term for type of glass produced by several companies or did most of it originate from one company?
David
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Amberina has become a general term but I would expect the not-red bit to be yellow/amber rather than olive green and good amberina should shade. Shine a UV torch on it
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My own experience of finding amberina at boot fairs and even antiques markets is limited to a single piece in the shape of a goblet, which does show the shading we've been discussing.
As a type of art glass, it has it's origins in the States where it was patented. so the books say, sometime in the 1880's, and probably that's where almost all was made, and that's no doubt the reason we rarely see it in the U.K.
According to Harold Newman's dictionary - he says that 1883 The New England Co licensed Sowerby to make 'Pressed Amberina' - whatever that may be.
Amberina has two general forms........the more usual is where the ruby occurs in the top half and then, apparently, there is 'Reverse Amberina' where the ruby colour forms the lower part of the object. In it's most desirable form - when the re-striking is for longer than usual - the ruby turns to deep fuchsia, and there's an opaque form apparently, which is described as 'plated amberina'.
Normally, the non-ruby portion should apparently look more akin to light amber/straw.
Ray & Lee Grover's book 'Art Glass Nouveau' - shows some very attractive pieces - none of which helps us with this piece, unfortunately.
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Thank you Lustrousstone and Paul,
I've looked at hundreds of pieces now on Google, there do seem to be a few clear variations.
Mine is different to nearly all, other than this one which matches in colour combination and lack of shading.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-14-AMBERINA-GLASS-BULLSEYE-OIL-LIGHT-LAMP-SHADE-/181202918625?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a30891ce1
David
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looking at the value of some of these pieces, you may have done very well. :) Shame we don't get any States people coming in on this sort of item - would have thought their input very useful.
Have attached pic of my amberina goblet - at least I've always assumed that's what it is - I did show it on the Board some couple of years back, but don't recall anyone commenting.
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Paul
In my opinion amberina is a too widely used term for any glass shading from amber to red.
The original and, to me only true amberina, was a lead based glass with colloidal gold which was amber when melted and formed. Then it was struck to create a beautiful deep red colour in the portions of the item that were reheated. It was patented by Joseph Locke for the New England Glass Co. in July 1883. This was made in the period 1883 to perhaps 1917. This glass is extremely heavy due to the lead content of the glass. None of my true amberina fluoresces under black light.
There was other red shading to amber glass items made in the same time frame where a thin layer of red glass was plated over amber glass. This technique appears to have originated in Europe (likely Bohemia) but quickly was taken up in the US. This "so-called German Amberina" (quoted from a contemporary report) was much cheaper to make than true amberina as only the red plating needed to have gold in the formula.
Then you have the 20th century selenium version of amberina which has a very orange shade to it - your goblet is an example. I call this faux or wannabe amberina. This glass is non-lead and thus the objects are relatively light. Some of this faux amberina fluoresces orange under a UV lamp.
David - Size of your item? Have you put a UV lamp on it? Is it lead based?
Sid
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If you are asking for a "states" view...when I looked at this piece I did not consider it to be Amberina...I considered the top 1/2 flashed red not reheated, but thats simply my opinion.
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thanks to Sid and Ohio for contributing - it does help to have a more experienced opinion. :)