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Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: ottogrunf on May 18, 2014, 06:43:54 PM

Title: curiosity
Post by: ottogrunf on May 18, 2014, 06:43:54 PM

some are candleholders but where did they come from? and that glass is?

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: SantaR on May 18, 2014, 07:03:12 PM

Not sure who the manufacturer is but if you google "mercury glass", there is tons of stuff that comes up.  :)

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: dirk. on May 18, 2014, 08:06:59 PM

Since the technique is fairly similar to christmas baubles I feel save to assume that in former days many of these
where produced in the same places. So Thuringia and northern Bohemia, e.g. Jablonec, just to mention a few.

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: Ivo on May 18, 2014, 10:28:02 PM

France for most of the monochrome ones,  Bohemia for polychrome ones. One large producer was Schmid in Kusov. Time frame circa 1860 -1900. Italian production unknown....
American ones you will not find in Europe.

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: SantaR on May 19, 2014, 05:06:41 AM

Alibaba.com are flooding the market.

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: dirk. on May 19, 2014, 10:36:30 AM

Yes, unfortunately there´s an endless flood of new items also....  :-\

Thanks Ivo, France is always a blind spot to me. Was their output there due to certain ressources, e.g. mercury?

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: Ivo on May 19, 2014, 11:26:40 AM

I really have no idea if the availability of raw materials played a role in the French output - but they certainly knew about the techniques of miroiterie. I am almost tempted to quote the old French saying 'vingt minutes d' amour et trois ans de mercure'  - but am affraid it is inappropriate so I will not.

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: Paul S. on May 19, 2014, 01:08:45 PM

quote ...............'twenty minutes of love and three years of mercury'.............    can't get out of it now Ivo...once your thoughts are in print you're damned for all eternity. ;D

anyway.....I suspect it was usually a lot less than twenty minutes - unless you were Casanova ;) ;)     

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: dirk. on May 19, 2014, 04:45:42 PM

Thanks once more  - and lol!  ;D

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: ottogrunf on May 19, 2014, 04:52:50 PM

 :) thanks for the answers  :)

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: NMott on May 19, 2014, 07:43:13 PM

My aunty used to collect mercury glass - sometimes called Fairings because they were sold/won at Victorian fairs. One tip she passed on, is never wash them in warm soapy water or the silver will wash off. Unfortunately my dad was never one to listen to his sister....and the silver washed off.  ::)

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: dirk. on May 19, 2014, 07:58:25 PM

I think those candleholders etc. are usually sealed to avoid this.
We visited a factory which produced christmas decorations on our trip to Czech Republic two years ago.
Quite interesting effect - seeing the bauble turn silver / reflecting within seconds.

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: Ivo on May 19, 2014, 09:36:02 PM

The better quality ones from bohemia are closed with a circular piece of mirror. Lesser quality has a paper sticker over the hole. These pieces are always cold enameled as a firing is not possible - so any type of wash will kill them.

Title: Re: curiosity
Post by: ttttootall on May 20, 2014, 11:02:00 AM

More discussion here...http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,51348.msg291206.html#msg291206