Monthly Archives: October 2010

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Yesterday my routine supply of catalogs came in the mail. One of them was from Pottery Barn which is one catalog I usually keep. I was delighted to see so many items in silvery mercury glass. Hence, I decided to do some investigating to learn more about this glass with the tarnished patina. This is what I found out on Martha Stewart’s website.

Mercury glass is also known as silvered glass or poor man’s silver does not contain mercury or silver. It’s actually clear glass, mold-blown into double-walled shapes and coated on the inside with a silvering formula, which is inserted though a small hole that is then sealed with a plug.

First discovered in early-19th-century Germany, mercury glass was used as an inexpensive and tarnish-free substitute for silver in such objects as candlesticks and doorknobs. It then gained favor in France and England, where it was made into useful household wares like vases and goblets, and in America, where it was turned into glass vases, goblets, tankards, sugar basins, tumblers, and even spittoons. After briefly falling out of favor, mercury glass reappeared around 1900 in the form of pretty Christmas ornaments and gazing balls, as well as blown fruits and flowers. Today, most serious collectors concentrate on antique forms, like curtain pins, salt cellars, or pedestal-footed silvered vases.

Here are some of the mercury glass products I found for sale searching the internet today:

Websites to find products:  Apartment 48, Ballard Design, Elizabeth’s Embellishments, Horchow, Napa Style, Pottery Barn, The Garden Gates, and Antique Mercury Glass.