If you are someone who loves old glass, you already know that almost every antique store, estate sale, and auction house has collections to choose from. Old plates and glasses are among the most common items people collect partly because they tend to be affordable and small enough to fit on shelves. Finding interesting vintage glassware collectibles is fun, especially when you know what you are looking at.

You may decide you love several different kinds of glass and want to collect some of all or specialize in certain genres. Either way, you should know something about old glass before you invest in it. The art of cut glass goes back almost two thousand years, and to the beginnings of glass blowing itself. Designs are created with the use of a grinding wheel that cuts patterns and designs into pieces of cooled glass.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the wealthiest citizens made a conspicuous show by entertaining with enormous pieces of leaded pressed glass. This has become known as the American Brilliant Period. It ended when manufacturers began to produce cheap versions of this expensive glass and made it available to the masses during the Great Depression.

In the early twentieth century, the Europeans got into the market with even cheaper pressed glass. American manufacturing suffered until the Great Depression when, the now famous, Depression glass went into production. The manufacturing was so prolific that the Ohio firm, most noted for producing the glass, could turn a profit even selling the pieces for pennies apiece.

It was during this same time period, when so many Americans could only dream about owning a genuine Tiffany lamp, that two companies began to mass produce glass pieces in the style of Tiffany. It eventually became known as Carnival Glass because is was such a common prize on carnival midways. There was so much competition in the making of this type of glass that one company even put out a product that glowed thanks to coatings of uranium salt.

All most people have to do is glance at certain pieces to know they are some version of milk glass. These pieces are found in shops all over the country, but milk glass is not native to the United States. It is actually a product of Venice where craftsmen first created it in the sixteen hundreds. The English variation became popular during the Victorian Era. The glass can be found in a wide variety of colors.

It is important to care for your glass collections correctly. This means not putting them in your dishwasher. The high temperature can crack and even break fragile pieces. You should only hand clean them using a mild detergent and soft drying cloth.

If you like to collect things, glassware is something that has an interesting history. Most pieces are affordable, and trying to find missing items to complete service settings can be a lot of fun. It is always a good feeling when you come upon the last piece you needed to complete a set.