Part of the appeal of collecting sea glass is trying to figure out where each piece originated. It’s like trying to solve a mystery. It’s quite a thrill for me when I figure out where a piece has come from. Like the other day, when I was leafing through Richard LaMotte’s Pure Sea Glass and I found a photo of amberina glass.
“That’s it! That’s it!” I yelled, as if i had just solved the crime of the century. My husband just looked at me and grunted his approval.
What was I so excited about? A few months ago I found a teeny tiny orange and red piece of sea glass on the shores of Lake Erie. I had no idea what it came from – but it sure was pretty. Then as I was looking up various colours of sea glass in LaMotte’s book, I saw a photo of amberina. I had solved the riddle!
Here’s what the Encyclopedia Britannica has to say about amberina:
Blended colour glass in which the lower part, a yellowish amber, merges into a ruby-red colour higher in the vessel. It was patented in 1883 for the New England Glass Company at East Cambridge, Mass., and was produced extensively there and by the successor company, the Libbey Glass Company at Toledo, Ohio, into the 1890s. The base metal was an amber glass containing some gold, and the tinges were developed by applied reheating. The glass was sometimes blown in molds. A wide range of table and ornamental wares, with diamond or ogival designs, or swirled ribbing, were produced by the New England Glass Company, and amberina glass was also produced at New Bedford, Mass., under the name rose amber.
Looks like I found myself a wee gem!
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Very pretty piece!!! I love the colors 🙂 I live between Toledo and Cleveland on the shores of Lake Erie and often go searching with my kids. Where did you find the piece shown here, I would love to find something like this 🙂
By Amy Claus on 10.24.09 8:19 am | Permalink
Amy, I’m on the north shore near Windsor, Ontario. I was in your neck of the woods recently, but didn’t get a chance to look near Cleveland. I hear there are some good beaches there.
By Christina on 10.27.09 10:14 am | Permalink
hi, i was just wondering where do you go to find sea glass and when do you usually go.I’m from windsor.i would love to come find sea glass. i have always been interested in finding some so if you could let me know that would be great!!!!
Thanks!!!
Leah
By Leah on 04.05.10 7:23 pm | Permalink
I just found a tiny triangle of this last week, it looks like it came from the edge of whatever it used to be and has a small M on it [probably part of a word, but it’s so small that there’s only space for that one letter]…
great blog, thank you :]
By gwen on 04.12.10 1:04 pm | Permalink
Hi there, i was doing the same thing, looking up the color of a find, i have found 3 pieces this same color! one of them is the size of a dime and hob-nobbed the second one is about the size of 2 half dollars together and more yellowish then anything but has red in it! and the third is about the size of my hand..pretty big!! But one thing im sure you’ll be interested in is that they all glow hot pinkish under a blacklight!! its awesome!!! If you’re interested i can send you pix! anyways im very happy for you on you’re find, It is very nice and a gem indeed!!
By benjamin on 06.09.10 12:29 am | Permalink
What a coincidence, that my name Amberina was originated from my father’s name Ambrose and my mothers name Rayna.And so they named me Amberina.
Not knowing that there existed a special antique glassware called Amberina. And we call my sister Erie shortform for Erina.
By Amberina on 06.16.11 7:30 am | Permalink
I found a tiny shard of amberina yesterday on a Lake Erie beach, while beach combing with a friend. She knew what it was right away! So exciting…
By Jennifer Rier (Gifts from the Sea jewelry on Etsy) on 07.16.11 1:25 pm | Permalink
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