Gold Ruby Glass

Gold ruby glass, also known as cranberry, is a craft production that started in the seventeenth century

. It is red glass, of course, made by throwing gold chloride into regular, thus turning it a deep ruby red hence the name. Because of it's delicate make up and chemical concoction, it is not mass produced like other products of his kind, ruby glass is usually hand crafted by professionals. This beautiful product is still made, and is usually produced for table bowls and confectionery holders. The origin stories are numerous, with several legends of falseness alive and well still. In that respect, its companies have even taken artist techniques and used them with the ruby making process to make beautiful pieces.

The origin of ruby glass is fairly sketchy. A legend portrays a rich noble throwing a gold piece into a vat of molten. This has been discounted, because it is not pure gold that goes into making ruby glass. Others claim that the process originated in the times of Caesar and the Roman Empire and then became lost for centuries until rediscovered in the 1600's. There are tons of things that ruby has been made into - tumbler sets and plates, display vases and confectionery bowls. Again, this kind is not produced on a mass scale because of it's expense, as well as it's difficult and fiddly chemical make up. Many more pieces were made during this time, and many pieces have been inspired since.

Mary Gregory is a Victorian Era artist that specialized in painting pictures of children of the era. What does this have to do with ruby, one might ask. Many Mary Gregory paintings were printed on gold ruby by the Westmoreland Company and marketed as Mary Gregory pieces to sell more. The glass pieces were hand blown and then the Gregory paintings were set in enamel mixed with other ground glass and fired into the gold ruby to solidify the enamel and bind it to the glass piece. Even though Mary Gregory has little to do with gold ruby glass, thanks to the Westmoreland Glass Company, the glass is still often called Gergory glass as well. Johannes Kunckel is also a serious name in gold ruby glass, although this German maker is famous for producing beakers and bowls with lids.

ruby is a timeless classic for display in a home, despite its sketchy origin and bastardized name attachments. The rich colors and beautiful designs are worthy of the gold that it takes to produce these lovely products, and the price shows us that good quality never goes amiss. You can even still find Gregory prints being made, although not so much by the WestMoreland Company anymore. You can still enjoy these products today, and they aren't that hard to find.

by: Jacque Crook

POST COMMENT

How To Manage Your WoW Gold In World Of Warcraft? Embedded Silver Jacquard Cotton Stretch Fabric Dyeing And Finishing Process Leno - Jacquard, Dyeing Money lies gold tells the truth A Strong Emerging Jewellery Trend - Stainless Steel My Favorite Gemstone Graphite: A Diamond In The Rough For Investors? How To Identify The Authenticity Of Jewelry Making A Timeless Statement With High Fashion Jewelry The Elevation Group Uncovers Gold Secrets The jewellery Every Girl Wants a Gold Diamond Ring Diamond Buying Guide How To Improve Your Gold Output With Cataclysm Gold Secrets