Glass

2/16/2016

I love glass.  Not glass glasses for drinking.  I collect glass pieces that are beautiful.  I can walk into an antique store and the best way to describe it, which is going to sound really strange, is that the glass "talks to me".  

I have a love of Murano glass and have many of the Murano clowns, most of whom are sitting in my bathroom.  That sounds strange but since I have a garden tub, the clowns stand like sentries on the tile.  When we built the house, I loved the thought of a garden tub, but 29 years later, wish I had opted to have no tub, and in it's place an enormous shower.  I have real difficulty getting in and out of the tub, so about the only time it gets used is when Benjamin comes to visit.

There is also a special glass that turns lavender and purple after sitting in the sun.  It's called Sun Purple Glass.  The longer the pieces are put in the sun, the darker the color.  I have many pieces of this kind of glass, but have never been able to get my glass to get much darker than a light lavender.   Lead was used for centuries as a clarifying agent in making glass.  Eventually, it was noticed that glass made without lead but containing manganese was found to turn a very light lavender if exposed to sunshine.  Hence the name "Sun Purple Glass".  The pieces of this kind of glass that I own are beautiful, but they are only good for decoration.  I wouldn't feel comfortable using them as dishes to hold food, etc.

The boys joke about my putting price stickers on the bottom of the pieces of glass that I own.  That would be a daunting task, as I have collected so much glass over the years.  When I was in high school, every time we went on vacation I bought a teacup and saucer.  Over time, I ended up with a large collection of cups and saucers.  I could use these cups if I was having the ladies over for "high tea"!!

Of course, there is the matter of keeping the glass pieces dust free.  Or, in my case, not moving the glass around in the first place!  I have found that all but the most fragile of my pieces can be safely put in the dishwasher for a quick rinse.  The clowns in the bathroom are simply submerged in the tub.  I hate dusting, because basically you are never done.  

Here are some pictures of sun purple glass:

   

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