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GLOWING GLASS
We are keen collectors of glowing glass and we always try to stock a large selection of UV reactive glass at Barnes & Bridge of Wheatley, just outside Oxford in Oxfordshire.
We have a great array of UV reactive glass including Uranium glass / Vaseline glass, Manganese glass, Selenium glass and Cadmium glass.
From Victorian Vaseline glass candlesticks to Mid Century Uranium Murano glass, we even have Uranium and Selenium jewellery.
It's not an easy task finding all these glowing treasures and it takes time and patience to find them but it's what we love and it's what we do.
Pop along to our shop to see/purchase our full Uranium Glass collection or check out our Etsy Shop.
URANIUM GLASS
Uranium/Vaseline Glass - is the term used to describe any glass that glows green under UV light.
First identified in 1789 by a German chemist it was discovered that if Uranium, usually in Oxide Diuranate form was added to a glass mix before melting this would result in a beautiful green colour.
The addition of uranium dioxide to glass became popular in the 1830s with the interest in uranium glass booming around the 1880s. In the early days, uranium glass was used as a raw material in the manufacture of household items and tableware. However, its use dropped when uranium availability was limited by the Cold War in the years running from the 1940s to the 1990s.
Due to it's glowing properties under UV light Uranium/Vaseline glass has become highly collectible today.
Uranium can be found in green glass, yellow glass and even white and blue glass although green is the most common.
Is Uranium Glass Safe?
Due to the unusual make up of Uranium glass some people can be a little cautious, however Environmental Protection Agency reports that the uranium dioxide used in the glass is vital for the colour and appearance but that it also makes the uranium glass slightly radioactive. It is worth noting that according to a report published in 2001 by the U.S. Nuclear Regulation Commission, uranium glass was considered to be safer than everyday electronic items and that you are likely to be exposed to higher levels of radiation from these items.
They do advise that even though the levels of radiation in uranium glass are low to avoid drinking or eating out of items made with the material due to the very slim chance that one can ingest small fragments or chips of this glass.
SOME OF OUR SOLD URANIUM GLASS
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