Authenticate Ancient Glass
Ancient and antique glass is one of the most sought after objects today. In most cases it is very fragile and can create som astonishing colours due to iridescence. The most well-known culture to create beautiful glass antiquities is probably Rome, ofcourse you can also find glass from other parts of the world. For example Egypt, Mesapotamia and other cultures.
But you also have to be a bit careful when looking for glass antiquities. I hope these tips will help you in your collecting of ancient glass.
- As mentioned, glass is fragile – so you should thoroughly check for cracks and repairs made with glue. An extra focus on the condition won’t hurt you.
- Glass in different colours, don’t have the exact same chemical composition – therefore they erode at different speeds. So look out for entirely similar erosion on glass object.
- Iridescence is created in layers, which means when you’re handling the glass object, it will come off in small flakes. It’s very difficult for the iridescence to not come off when you’re holding it. So if the iridescence doesn’t come off like this and easilly, then be aware.
- Faked iridescence will not come off in same fashion, as mentioned above.
- Authentic ancient glass with iridescence is rarely translucent. It shouldn’t look like new glass, obviously.
- If you found a piece of ancient glass in the ground from ancient rome, what would the first thing you’d do be? It would probably be to clean it. So if you see an antique glass object that is covered in dirt og the likes, then something is most likely going on. On some occasions the mud is there to cover repairs.
