Comments on: Oh, the Glow: Straw Opalescent Shades

By: Nunzie

Nunzie — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 19:33:04 +0000

Hey Bo:
Do you know of anyone in Oregon who blows straw opalescent glass?
I’m needing some matched glass shades…

By: Jonas Clark

Jonas Clark — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 07:09:05 +0000

The best thing, to me, about custard, opalescent and other uranium shades is that they glow under blacklight. Put compact-fluorescent blacklight bulbs in fixtures using them, and they’ll glow a brilliant electric neon green. After a while, you can spot a uranium oxide shade at a distance, and I carry a UV-LED flashlight to hunt for them.

By: jerry gross

jerry gross — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:00:38 +0000

is this ficture above #5135 ever available either original or reproduced

By: Amy Gearin

Amy Gearin — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 22:08:15 +0000

Hi there Leslie,

Thanks for writing to us and inquiring about finding a replacement for your broken shade. I looked through our inventory of old shades here at Rejuvenation and may have found a couple of options for you. Please feel free to email me directly at oldstuff@rejuvenation.com and I would be happy to send along a couple of photos of the shades that I think could be a match. Take care and I hope to here from you soon.

Sincerely,
Amy Gearin

By: Bo

Bo — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:20:39 +0000

Thanks for writing Rich.
The period between 1916 and 1920 was a very transitional one, seeing the rise of Colonial Revival and the decline of Arts & Crafts, along with the impact of the world war.
Without seeing photos of the house, it is hard to say what – from the very wide range of designs available – might have been selected for your house.
To my knowledge, there are no good reprints out there of lighting catalogs from this era, and even the couple of antique lighting sites online that share catalog images have little covering this time period.
Feel free to send me some pictures and I’ll tell you what I can.
bsullivan@rejuvenation.com

By: Rich Dinsmore

Rich Dinsmore — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:26:50 +0000

Bo,
GREAT information!
We just purchased a home in Troy, Ohio; house was designed by Pretzinger and Musselman in Dayton, OH. I’ve heard that Mr. Pretzinger worked for Frank Lloyd Wright.
Our home is Prairie Style and was designed in 1916 and completed in 1920.
Most of the original lighting in long-gone. What would you assume that they specified during this period? We have ceiling fixtures in the main hall, living and dining rooms. All of the bedrooms, living and dining room also have switched wall scones.
Appreciate any insights that you could provide.
Rich

By: Leslie Adams

Leslie Adams — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:58:33 +0000

I enjoyed reading the above article, especially since I have been looking for a glass shade to replace one that was broken. I never knew what the official description of what I have been looking for and now I do. It was an opalescent twist in a tear drop shape . I would have described the color as pale blue, but it looks like it may have been called flint. My shade had a 4″ fittter and was 10″ in length. The shape was more of a tear drop not a bullet. In your article you show a photo of assorted glass shades. The shade on the far lower left appears to be the same color as the one we had. The big question is, do you have a shade to replace the one we lost?
Thank you for your help.
Leslie Adams