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Ruby Glass
The history of Ruby glass is uncertain as there have been some contradictions noted about when the process was first discovered. The process to produce Ruby glass is rather difficult. It involves adding gold chloride to the glass while it is in the molten stage. Because of the difficulty of the manufacturing process, as well as the expensive nature of gold, Ruby glass is not mass produced. Each piece of Ruby glass is unique.
Also known as Gold Ruby glass or Cranberry glass, Ruby glass became particularly popular in the mid 1800s. For this reason, there is a natural association between Ruby glass and the Victorian Era, although ruby glass was produced for years before that time period.
One story of the discovery of Ruby glass involves Antonio Neri, an Italian glassmaker. In 1612, he found that by adding a small amount of gold to a vat of molten glass, a shimmering red glass was formed. In another version of the history of Ruby glass, in 1676, Andreas Cassius, a physician from Hamburg, Germany was credited with discovering that a gold chloride solution produced a coloring of red.
By 1679, Johann Kunckel von Lowenstern, a glass technologist and chemist from Potsdam, Germany, produced the first ruby glass. By varying the amounts of gold chloride that he added to the glass, von Lowenstern could also vary the deepness of the red that appeared in the finished product. He attempted to keep the recipe as secret but was unsuccessful in the long term, however.
From around 1850 until about the turn of the century, Ruby glass was in great demand after well-to-do Americans visiting the upper class in England discovered it. The glassblowers and glass molders of this time period used Ruby glass to make a variety of items. These included decanters and their matching tumblers, vases and pitchers. Lamps, as well as other types of lighting fixtures, are among the more expensive and rare items from this period of time.
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Usually known as Gold ruby glass in Europe and Ruby, or Cranberry glass, in the United States, there were certain standards that were to be met in order for the Ruby glass to be deemed acceptable. A muddy tone to the glass, or chips, ash, or markings that were unpolished, all indicated an inferior quality of glass.
The pontil, an area that is rough and a part of all glass items that are blown, is where the blowing rod and glass piece have separated. Even that rough area, usually found on the bottom of a piece of glass, should not look chipped or broken.
For Ruby glass pieces that are blown by mouth, subtle striations and bubbles are normal. On hand molded items, only slight marks or mold lines should be noted. In pieces where there are parts of glass that are attached to one another, those points of contact should be clean and polished smooth.
It can be difficult to successfully identify Ruby glass that is an antique and ruby glass that has been produced in more recent times. Some manufacturers started imprinting their stamp during a certain time period and this helps to date those particular pieces of Ruby glass.
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