Our Favorite Finds : Purple Glass

You've probably seen purple glass many times in antique stores, thrift stores, and maybe even your mom or grandmother's house. Have you ever wondered "How did it get that color?" "What's the story behind it?" Well here's some answers for you.

Many glassmakers throughout the centuries have tried to produce clear, colorless glass, however, impurities, especially iron oxide, in the batch ingredients that were melted to make the glass often resulted in glass that was greenish instead of the desired "water clear."

However they realized that Manganese can be added in small amounts to remove the green tint given by iron. Manganese is one of the oldest glass additives, and purple manganese glass was used since early Egyptian history.

Purple glass is made from the metal oxide manganese, which is added in larger amounts than when they were just clearing the glass. Many glass manufacturers, such as the Imperial Glass Company, produced purple glass. It is also possible that your glass piece might once have been clear but turned purple when exposed to the sun.

Prior to WW1, manganese was a commonly used clarifier for glass.

Supplies of manganese were disrupted by the war, so glassmakers turned to other clarifying agents, and manganese was never widely used in glassmaking again.

Glass that contains manganese will gradually turn purple when exposed to ultraviolet light. The depth of the purple color is determined both by the amount of manganese present as well as the amount of time the item has been exposed to UV light.

Antique dealers generally date Early American Pressed Glass (EAPG) that has a purple tint to prior to 1917.

Now that you understand what it is how do you find it?

Start local check out your local thrift stores, antique stores, and even boutiques. You'll find them for cheap because some people don't even know what they're worth! You can also check online secondhand stores, or online stores like etsy and ebay.