Why Should We Collect & Preserve Glass?
Antique, vintage and most retro glass was made of authentic silicate glass (until approximately 1980). Collectible glass was made before the days of modern polymer based glass.
Old glass was made from raw earth materials and was energy intensive to produce. New glass made with polymers replacing costly metals melts at a much lower temperature and is much less expensive to produce. Most modern glass is not true glass, it is a man-made glass-like substance.
The days of producing authentic glass made of metals, natural pigments, silicon and minerals are over. This is why it’s so important to collect, document and preserve glass from the past.
Glass Research
Researching glass is educational and fun. Thanks to the internet we have many sources for glass identification.
You can view over 850 glass objects from the past in the Retro Art Glass Museum. Most are identified.
Below are a few of our favorite glass research articles and websites.
| Glass Producing Regions and Makers | Corning Museum of Glass Research | ||
| Glass Composition and Types | The Method of Glass Blowing | ||
| Techniques in Art Glass | Glass Dictionary | ||
| Glass Articles by Corning |
Do you have questions about your glass? Ask an Expert:
- We’ve developed an easy and free method to get feedback about your glass from the Retro Art Glass staff on our Facebook page.
- Go to the Retro Art Glass Facebook page.
Important: Click the Retro Art Glass Facebook page ‘Like’ button first, then…. - Click on Message (next to the Like button)
- Post images of the glass object your are curious about, including the base. Be sure to add additional information like size, provenance if you have it, damage, etc. .