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Amberina Toothpick - American or Italian?

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Connie:
Leni - are you talking about amberina or satin glass?

New England Glass began producing amberina glass in 1883.  Satin glass was also very popular in the 1880s in the US and most was produced in WV, PA, NY and New England.

Leni:
Sorry, Connie, I got confused and so I edited my post  :oops:

I don't understand why you say it has to be satinised Amberina, rather than Burmese.  What is the difference in the production of these types of glass?  :?  

Again, I'm afraid I'm showing my ignorance of American made glass  :oops:  :roll:

Leni

Connie:
Leni - The easiest way is to show you.

Amberina Glass


Burmese

Both are color struck glass.  The deeper red or rose color is formed when the  piece is reheated. For instance, just the top of a vase or the top of a tumbler.

One of the glass artists that post here can maybe give us some information on the difference in the glass formulas between the 2 types of glass.

Connie:
Leni -

I think I understand what you are asking now. If both types of glass are pink to yellow shaded and Burmese is opaque and Amberina is transparent, then why is my piece not Burmese?  Does that sum up your question?  I think it is basically what Mr. Vaseline (sorry I don't remember your real name) was thinking also.

IMHO - there is a difference.  Amberina glass always starts out life as a transparent glass which may become opaque or translucent through further treatment ie. satin finish by acid


On the other hand Burmese glass starts out life as a opaque glass (it is never transparent)but  it can also be shiny (see my shiny Burmese vase in the links above) or more commonly is a matte finish (see the other pieces in my link.) which is result of acid finishing also.

Leni:
Thank you, Connie  :D

However, I was further confused when I 'googled' and found this in 'The Journal of Antiques and Collectables':

--- Quote ---Mount Washington Glass...by William C. Marcoux Jr
In 1884, Mount Washington began using the name, Amberina, for a new glassware they were producing. It was a heat sensitive glass, meaning that when reheated during production the portion reheated changes color. This glass was made by adding gold to an amber glass mixture. When completed the glass shaded from amber to red. Shading varied depending on the duration of the reheating. This was an extremely popular product. New England Glass Company, however, was producing a similar ware at the same time and under the same name. A lawsuit ensued and the result was that New England Glass Company was allowed to keep the name, Amberina, and Mount Washington was forced to use a different name. They chose to call their ware Rose Amber and on May 25, 1886, they were issued a patent for that name. Rose Amber was made in many forms and occasionally was etched, pressed, cut or decorated with applied Rose Amber glass. It is nearly impossible to distinguish between pieces made by these two factories with the exception of the pieces with applied rigaree and wishbones, which are uniquely Mount Washington forms. Recent findings indicate that Mount Washington was likely producing this glassware before New England, but had not applied for a patent in a timely fashion.

On December 15, 1885, Mount Washington was granted a patent for a glassware called Burmese. It is believed that this glass had been made for several years before that date. It is a homogeneous heat sensitive glass, shading from lemon yellow to salmon pink. Burmese was discovered serendipitously by Frederick Shirley when he was filling in for an ailing glassmaker in 1881. Mr. Shirley had devised formulas for making glass but had not blown glass. He was working with a mixture of ruby glass and had trouble keeping the gold in the mixture from sinking to the bottom so he added some uranium oxide to the mix, and Burmese was born. Like all blown glass, Burmese is shiny in its original form. The tastes of the day, however, favored a soft satin finish which was created by exposing the object to acid. Burmese was sold in both. The shiny finish was marketed as the natural finish, and the satin finish as the plush finish.
--- End quote ---


Leni  :?

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