Uranium glass has actually been around for a very long time. It dates as far back as 79 AD. A mosaic from this time period which contained uranium oxide was discovered in a location close to Naples Italy. Later the discoverer of uranium as a chemical element Martin Klaproth born in the 16th century would experiment with the element in the coloration of glass. However, it was not for another 50 years before glass manufacturers started adding uranium on a regular basis to bring more colorful products to the marketplace to match demand.
Fast forward to the early 20th-century to find uranium glass being produced in large quantities in all shapes and forms including household objects such as ornamental and decorative pieces, tableware, jewelry, and sculptures. Unfortunately, the production of uranium glass declined sharply during the cold war during which time the availability of uranium decreased considerably. Because of this many examples of uranium glass from to this period are very desirable and highly collectible. Modern-day production of traditional opaic uranium glass is primarily limited to smaller trinket like pieces. However, there is a greater production of Vaseline glass.
The term Vaseline glass refers to uranium glassware which is transparent, however, the term vaseline glass is often used as a synonym to describe all uranium glass. To add to the confusion the opposite can also be true as many people use the term uranium glass in a generic way which includes the transparent vaseline glass. The name vaseline glass originated in the 1920’s as a nickname due to a perception that the transparent glass had a resemblance to petroleum jelly. Just like all uranium glass, the use of an ultraviolet blacklight in the dark will cause it to fluoresce and glow which is the appealing feature and hallmark of all uranium glass.
