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The Origins & Colors of Glass
At Hudson Oddities we are fascinated by the complex origin of each elusive piece of glass found along the shoreline. Understanding the original purpose of discarded items, reclaimed by nature and patiently reshaped by the endless movement of sand and waves, is a form of archeology.
Natural glass has existed since the beginning of time, formed when certain types of rock melt as a result of high temperatures such as volcanic eruptions, lightning strikes or the impact of meteorites. The molten rock quickly cools and solidifies, creating a crude form of glass.
The earliest man-made glass objects, mainly non transparent glass beads, are thought to date back to around 3500BC (5500 years ago) Over time artisans and chemists found that the properties of glass could be changed dramatically by adding various substances to the basic sand/soda/lime mixture. In fact, the Egyptians created many colors of glass to use in the art of jewelry making. For nearly each gemstone there was a glass formula to mimic it.
The range of colours that are found along different coastlines is directly related to the products that were commonly used in an area. Colored glass is achieved by adding different metallic compounds to the heated basic formula. The cost to create certain colours also determines the rarity of the glass.
Red Glass
copper oxides or tiny flakes of gold
Yellow Glass
uranium and iron compounds
Green Glass
copper oxides or compounds of uranium and iron
Blue Glass
copper oxide, cobalt oxide
Pink & Purple Glass
manganese oxides
Milky White Glass
calcium fluoride
Opaque Glass
tin oxide
As early as the 13th century (800 years ago), Venetian glass masters developed advanced glass and glass beadmaking techniques creating crystalline, enamel, milk glass and imitation gemstones. Many of these processes and forms of glass are, to this day, being used in the fabrication of jewelry.
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