Topic: Sklo Neodymium Paperweight on eBay

[marie anne]

Hi,
I've a paperweight which I think is a Neodymium weight designed by Vladimir Jelinek follwing the Glass Messages thread
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php?topic=5641.0
see photo below.

It's up for auction on eBay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170577538131&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT
and is item number 170577538131

Thanks for looking,
Marie.

[Lustrousstone]

It's NOT Sklo Union (those factories really only made pressed glass). It is probably Zeleny Brod Sklo. (None of your photos actually show the colour under daylight or an incandescent (old-fashioned, non-energy saving) bulb. It should be lilac, which may lose you sales)

[marie anne]

Hi,
I've pulled the listing on eBay while I get a bit clearer on this.  I'm more worried about not describing correctly than losing a few sales.  I didn't say 'Sklo Union' in the listing I said 'Sklo' based on the Glassexport label.  I'll try and get some daylight photos but the light hasn't been great lately.  We only have the energy bulbs in our house now, but my photos are taken with bulbs which are supposed to reproduced the colour balance of daylight (to my limited photography understanding). 
The paperweight I was comparing mine has the following link     http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/misc578.jpg in the glass message thread.  If I understand the thread correctly then Marcus is saying that he has a similar one by Chribska. 
Thanks for your reply.   I'm always open to comments.
Marie.

[Lustrousstone]

Sklo is just the Czech word for glass. From unravelling the thread, your label was used on glass exported by most of the Czech factories (not just the Sklo Union ones) and Marcus is saying the paperweights are probably Zeleznobrodske Sklo and possibly designed by Jelinek.

Daylight bulbs are still halogen bulbs; they are just colour balanced to create the effect of daylight but still produce the wavelength that turns neodymium blue. Take your photos in front of a window on white paper and you should have enough light even on a grey day (turn off the flash)

[marie anne]

I've taken a new photo in light from the window - shown on the left and compared with a photo lit using a 'daylight' bulb on the right.  There isn't a huge colour change to my eyes.  The one on the left has a muddier tinge to it but that's about all I can see.  And thanks for unravelling the thread.  I still like the paperweight as a nice piece of art glass but am now less convinced it's neodymium. 

[Lustrousstone]

What colour is it when you take it outside?

[marie anne]

Sorry for slow reply.  I was helping my mother move house yesterday.
The central coloured region goes a soft pink when taken outside!  The colour is best in the region below the big bubbles.  I will try to photograph it outside but I haven't the time to do it today as I'm off out to do more unpacking shortly.  I will upload a photo in the next day or two.  I'm not sure if my camera will capture the colour properly but I'll have a go.

[Lustrousstone]

If it turns pink, then it's neodymium,

[flying free]

'The central coloured region goes a soft pink when taken outside! '

having looked at the picture on this one of Anne's it appears to have been taken in daylight but still seems to have some variation in colours and not be completely lilac - I'm not at all suggesting it isn't neodymium, but I think it is rather beautiful that it maintains the intensity and variation in colour.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/glassie/misc578.jpg

Is it just a portion of yours that goes lilac in daylight?  or does the whole paperweight go lilac?  From what you said above, I assumed only the middle bit is neodymium but that the glass surrounding that area is coloured but doesn't change colour?
Just interested to know because I have a few pieces of neodymium glass and yours sounds much more interesting than mine! - because it seems to not wholly change colour.  Mind you I like mine lilac but object to them going an aqua blue when I try to put them where I want them 

m

[marie anne]

Hi,
Finally have taken more colour comparison photos.  Sorry again for the slow reply. 
M - thanks for your comments and the link to Anne's photo.  On my paperweight it is the central region around the bubbles which changes colour.  The colour change is subtle.  To my naked eye it looks soft pink in daylight but in the right-hand daylight photo the difference is very subtle - just slightly more pinky/heather coloured.  I'd be interested in your view and that of lustrousstone as I've not had any neodymium glass before (and maybe still don't  ).  I wish I had a strongly coloured neodymium piece to compare it with.  I'm going to be on the look-out for one in my future purchases.  I've read that Caithness used neodymium tints so maybe I can get hold of a Caithness neodymium weight to use as an optical standard?
Anyway, I'll be interested in comments on the photo below.
Happy New Year!
Marie.