What is Amethyst Glass?

Amethyst glass is a dark purple glass that looks black until held up to a bright light, revealing its deep purple color.

This wonderful glass comes in varying depths of purple and a variety of pieces that were produced in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Black amethyst glass is such a dark purple that it takes a very intense light to bring out the purple color. One excellent example of black amethyst can be found at http://www.thecuriousphoenix.com/store.php?seller=TheCuriousPhoenix&Tsearch=amethyst&per=36&pd=9202250&num=

Be wary of pieces that have been subjected to radiation and forced to turn purple or glass that has been exposed to sunlight. The color is not as rich and simply looks wrong. You can see some excellent examples of false-purple glass at https://www.glassbottlemarks.com/artificially-purpled-glass-irradiated-glass-altered-glass/

The first time I saw amethyst glass, I was entranced as I had never even heard of this remarkable glass. I was introduced to it by my mentor who delightedly (although, admittedly, he is usually delighted over every item he is selling) showed me a beautiful piece of glass that looked black, but when held up to the light showed it actually was not black but a rich, beautiful purple. He was enjoying the little joke that it was such a nice example of amethyst glass but everyone at the flea market was passing it by as an uninteresting black vase. Of course, I bought it and added it to my personal collection as a reminder to always look beyond the obvious.

Amethyst glass is a favorite of mine because it has a hidden second beauty that is not readily apparent unless someone is willing to take the time to discover it.

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