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| WHAT IS CARNIVAL GLASS |
| The definition of Carnival Glass is
" A press moulded glass, which is sprayed with a metallic salt solution
to give it an iridescent coating". Carnival Glass was made originally by companies in the USA, as a cheap alternative to the expensive iridescent glass made by the Tiffany Company. Iridescent glass was known in Roman times, and once again resurfaced as carnival glass in 1896. |
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The different colours of glass is made by using the following ingredients added to the basic glass mixture:
Black - Iron and/or Manganese, Copper, Cobalt. Blue - Copper and/or Iron, Chromium. Green - Iron and/or Copper, Chromium. Purple - Manganese and/or Nickel. Red - Gold and/or Selenium, Copper. Vaseline - Uranium. White Opal - Tin and/or Arsenic and certain salts. Yellow - Silver and/or Iron, Cerium. For more information please use Quick Information menu above, or click the picture below to go to the base information page:  |
The dies were moulded usually from cast iron and made in multiple pieces so that they could be separated to release the glass. Using compressed air to force the plunger into the die, intricate patterns could be achieved. The more complex patterns engraved on the plunger/mould took engravers many months to complete. |