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Milk glass, with its modern hues and vintage shape, is making a huge comeback. You can find it on the pages of almost every shelter magazine, on the tables of the most elegant wedding receptions, and filling the cupboards of the most fashionable women.
I adore milk glass. I actually have a small collection of bright turquoise vases and compotes that I used for part of the floral arrangements for my wedding brunch, and again for Rex’s first birthday party.
For obvious reasons, more and more brides are using milk glass for wedding blooms.
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Milk glass can be used in almost every room of your home, and it is perfect for your table top.
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Milk glass originated in Venice in the 16th century, and it has remained popular as a collector’s item as well as a useful — and beautiful — household item.
According to The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Milk Glass by Bill and Betty Newbound, the peak of American popularity was 1895-1910. However, most of the milk glass pieces found today are the result of a milk glass revival of the 1940s and 1950s and made by Westmoreland Glass and Fenton Glass. Almost every piece in my collection is made by Fenton; I especially treasure my vintage hobnob vases.
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To create milk glass, early manufacturers added arsenic to their standard glass recipes, which yielded a faintly grayish but nicely opalescent effect. Later they used tin oxide, feldspar, and other additives to achieve the more saturated, denser whiteness they desired.
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Although the majority of the milk glass you see today is a classic milky white, bright colors, such as my turquoise, are popping up everywhere. I have seen all shades of blue, pink, jade green, brown, black, and even bright yellow in antique shops and all over the Internet.
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If you want to start your own collection of timeless milk glass, I would definitely start on ebay. Seriously. I found almost half of my collection on ebay, and the prices are wonderful. Try searching for “milk glass vase” or “milk glass cake stand,” and see what pops up.
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Thrift and antique stores also provide some great — and usually fairly well-priced — options. From goblets to add some color to your dinner table to kitchy one-of-a-kind pieces to fill your shelves, you can’t go wrong with this trend-resistant glassware.
Enjoy!
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