Introduction

          No one really knows when glass was first invented, although we do know that it was in use in ancient Egypt, Syria, and Rome. The basic material was made from heating and fusing sand with potash or soda and a stabiliser, which was usually lime. How on earth anyone discovered it by mucking about with these ingredients I’ll never know. We can be thankful that they did, though, because glass is a fascinating and highly accessible collecting area. Despite its fragility, glass from the eighteenth century and later is relatively easy to find, and plain objects can still be inexpensive.

          One of the most popular collecting areas for glass is drinking glasses. Drinking glasses were made in massive numbers from the 1700s onwards, and despite often being handled by unsteady hands, a surprising number have survived, so they can actually be relatively cheap to buy, going from around £100. This might sound a lot for a glass, but these 200-year-old glasses are miniature works of art. Hand-blown and turned, each one is unique and, each having its own individual imperfections and flaws, they are just irresistible. 

          Value for all glass depends hugely on the rarity of the decoration, as well as the shape, colour, and style. A big worry, though, for someone starting out collecting any sort of glass is the reality that many of the more valuable pieces have been faked. These can be difficult to determine, as many excellent eighteenth-century-style pieces were made during the nineteenth century, and often get passed off as being 100 years older than they actually are.  Mind you, at least a nineteenth-century copy is still a genuine antique, and copies in those days were, bizarrely, sometimes better than the originals. Not so today, of course. The stuff coming in from the Far East and being sold through fairs and auctions is truly scary.

          Once you get used to handling glass, either by buying and selling it or by visiting shops and auction rooms, you will begin to recognise original pieces by any of three ways.

          Colour: the distinctive tint caused by impurities and colours available at the time may not be present in reproductions.

          Manufacturing methods: hand-blown glass usually has a pontil mark – a rough bump under the stem – where it was cut from the pontil rod. It may have striations or ripples in the glass, and the rim may be of uneven thickness. Later, machine-made glass doesn't have these imperfections.

          Proportions: glass has varied in style and proportion throughout the centuries. On old wine glasses, for example, the foot is usually as wide as the bowl. The wrong proportions may indicate a fake.

          Age, though, isn’t the be-all and end-all; it’s quality that counts. As with all antiques, what you really want to see is an item that isn’t perfect.  Near-perfection is what we seek. If you look closely enough you will always find some slight blemish that serves to remind us that the piece was made by a human hand and not by a machine. The harder it is to find the imperfections, the better the piece.

          As well as helping to determine an item’s age, originality makes a huge difference in value, too. Often chipped rims or feet on glasses or bowls have been ground out, reducing the proportions of the glass. An expert or experienced collector can spot one of these at 10 paces, so it’s always best to take advice from a reputable dealer, or, better still, buy from one. It makes sense in the long run. 

          Colourful glass of the nineteenth century is also increasingly popular with collectors. Bright blues, vivid reds, and deep pinks and purples were all the rage and are still keenly desirable today. Many new glass-making techniques were introduced during the nineteenth century, and colours became increasingly varied and interesting. Signed pieces are always good to look out for. You need to be beady-eyed, though, as often the signatures are hardly noticeable. These marked pieces definitely bring the most money when put up for sale, but the great thing is that you can buy genuine nineteenth-century glass that will keep hold of its value far more cheaply than buying modern equivalents.

Decoration

          Decoration on glass can add substantially to its value – or detract from it if the decoration is poor or added later. Glassmakers have used four main decorative techniques: cutting, fire enamelling, cold enamelling, and gilding.

          Cutting: cut decoration can help with dating. The earliest patterns were shallow surface cuts. Patterns became increasingly elaborate in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

          Enamelling: enamelling comes in two forms. In fire enamelling the enamel was painted on the surface of the glass and the glass was then fired to fix the decoration. This is the most permanent and usual form of enamelling. Cold enamelling, or cold painting, involves painting the glass without firing. This technique has the disadvantage of the enamel wearing off easily. It was mainly used on inexpensive items. This process is also used on bronze and metal figurines.

          Gilding: gold decoration has been applied to the surface of glass in a number of different ways. The most permanent method of gilding was by firing the gold onto the surface of the glass. An alternative method was oil gilding, which involved applying a gold powder or leaf onto an oil base and burnishing. Gilding applied using this method rubs off easily.

Glass Care

• Always carry pieces with two hands, ensuring that you remove any loose pieces like lids beforehand.
• Never wash delicate glassware in the dishwasher; the temperature and chemicals are too harsh.
• Don’t put glass in hot or cold water. Sudden changes in temperature set up stresses within the glass.
• Avoid putting glass in direct sunlight or near a heat source such as a radiator or spotlight.
• To avoid stains from cut flowers in a vase: change the water every two days, rinse well, and remove plant debris before it dries on. Any liquid can stain glass if left in contact too long.

Cleaning Glass

          Be careful when cleaning antique glass. Cold-painted enamel can easily be washed off, for example, and cut and engraved glass can be easily scratched.

          For glass that’s strong enough to be cleaned, here are some common-sense tips:

• Remove any rings or bracelets before starting.
• Pad the washing bowl and drying area with clean, lint-free cloths to protect the glass from knocks.
• Never put more than one piece of glassware in the bowl at a time.
• If you’re in a hard-water area, used distilled or softened water.
• Use a soft-bristled brush with gentle rubbing to get into difficult areas.

          Finally, I‘ve got to share my most recent find. A genuine Roman glass wine vessel, dating to the first century AD. I must admit that I wouldn’t recognise a piece of Roman glass it if landed on my head, but I bought this one from a specialist dealer and it is the most fantastic thing I’ve bought for a long, long time. It sits beautifully on an antique mahogany table and looks the business. What did I pay for my 2000-year-old ornament? Under £200! 

Truly amazing.