Pattern Glass | Glass Collectibles Guide

The Imperial Glass Company was established in Bellaire, Ohio in 1901. The first production of pattern glass was produced in 1904. Pattern glass was followed by carnival glass, stretch glass and two lines of molded cut glass. Imperial is also the maker of Candlewick, a pattern of molded glassware produced from 1936 to 1982, and which is more famous that the Imperial name under which it was produced.

After beginning with pattern glass, Imperial began producing carnival glass around 1910 under the name of Rubigold, an amber based form of the iridescent glass. Eventually Azure (blue) and Helios (green) carnival glass lines were added, and these persisted into the 1920′s.

Someone noticed that the shiny finish from the metallic salts sprayed on carnival glass crazed if the piece was worked after spraying, resulting in an onion-like skin on the glassware. This stretch glass, usually much plainer in shape and with little modelling on the surface, was produced as Art Glass by the Imperial Company from 1916, in a number of colors and in over sixty shapes. The colors were called Pearl White, Pearl Ruby, Pearl Green, Pearl Silver and Pearl Amethyst. This glass is also now called Imperial Jewel glass.

Imperial’s Nucut and Near Cut lines involve molding the glass similar to the cut glass of the American Brilliant Period. Much cheaper to produce than real cut glass, it is also made from the regular glass metal and not lead crystal, making it lighter as well. These lines allowed middle class families enjoy the brilliance of cut glassware at prices within their reach.

Imperial is the maker of Candlewick glass, a pattern so popular that its name is better known to the glass buying public than the company name. This pattern was made by Imperial from 1936 until the company stopped producing glassware in 1982, and the molds have been dispersed and are now used by several companies. Candlewick forms are relatively plainly molded but have a series of small glass beads on the edges of the piece. Imperial was also a prolific maker of milk glass items, making most of their pieces in translucent glass in milk glass also.

Imperial purchased the molds of the Central, Cambridge and Heisey glass companies and produced further glassware from them with the Imperial mark. The Imperial mark is two capital I’s crossed at right angles, and with the letters “IMPERIAL” placed in pairs in the four quadrants formed by the crossed I’s.

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Look for Imperial glassware at antiques shops and glass shows. The company produced wonderful examples of all the mechanized and semi-mechanized forms of Twentieth Century American glass.

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The use of uranium, in some form, to color glass goes back to at least Roman times. The resulting yellow can vary from a pale ivory to a strong yellow. This partially depends on the amount of uranium added to the glass batch before melting begins.

vaseline glass 2 © by the1pony

Glows in the Dark

Actually, the uranium content of these glasses glows under a black-light, if not in the dark. The amount of the glow is also dependent on the amount of uranium added to the glass batch. During the Cold War, uranium was monopolized by the US government, so US production of uranium colored glass was non-existent. Since then, some uranium colored glass has reached the market.

vaseline glass 1 © by the1pony

Radioactivity

The uranium content of these glasses can usually only be measured above the regular background radiation by the most sensitive of Geiger counters, so the glass does not constitute a health hazard.

vaseline glass 3 © by the1pony

Vaseline Glass

This is a term now commonly used for any uranium-containing glass. It originally was used for glass made in the 1920′s that was yellow-green and transparent or semi-transparent glass. It is even used for any color of transparent or semi-transparent glass with a greasy luster in some places. Therefore, read the description of any glass purchased online as vaseline glass and get pictures before buying.

Custard Glass

Custard glass is milk glass with some small portion of uranium that turns the glass from ivory to a custard to a strong yellow color. It was developed in England in the 1880′s, and was made in the US starting in 1889. Until 1915, this glass was used to create pattern glass and glass souvenirs. There are many patterns of glass table items, made by many of the prominent glass houses of the time.

Jadite Glass

Jadite glass is a green opaque or semi-opaque glass most commonly used for kitchen glass items. Before the advent of aluminum or plastic, many leftover containers, staple canisters and salt and pepper shakers for the kitchen were made of jadite. The term is also spelled jadeite, and Jade-ite is the name of a specific glass line made by Anchor Hocking. The popularity of this color of glass as a collectible has led to the re-issue of Jade-ite items by the maker.

Uranium Glass in Europe

The use of uranium to color glass in modern times can be traced to Bohemia in the 1830′s. From there, the technique traveled through France to England, then to the US. No doubt some European uranium glasses would make an interesting addition to a collection of this glass, although there is certainly enough made in the US to create a large and interesting collection.

Uranium Glass Today

Together with the re-issue of some of the Jade-ite line by Anchor Hocking, uranium colored glass is still made by Fenton Glass, Mosser Glass, Gibson Glass and Jack Loranger. Look for these new glass items at gift stores.

The glasses made using uranium as a colorant have been popular ever since their re-dicovery in the 1830′s. Look for pattern glass and modern molded items, as well as some blown-molded pieces in this glass that glows under black-light. And add a black-light to your display area to amaze others with the effect this glass has under the right circumstances.

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Imperial Glass

The Uranium Glasses: Vaseline, Custard and Jadite