Amberina Glass Sold at Auction Prices

Amberina glass is readily recognizable by its color, which graduates distinctly from dark red to light yellow. This effect is achieved in production through the addition of colloidal gold, along with the uneven heating of specific parts of the piece to make the gold precipitate turn red in color. By contrast, glass exhibiting the reverse coloration, from light yellow to dark red, are known 'reverse Amberina'. Amberina glass was first produced in Cambridge, Massachusetts under patent at the New England Glass Company from 1883. The creative process and ingredients of Amberina glass have been subjects of numerous artistic and legal controversies, with various examples produced by Mt Washington, Hobbs, Wheeling and Baccarat. The most sought after pieces are in any case those identifiable as Libbey or New England Glass Company, with some pieces fetching between $5,000 and $10,000 at auction in recent years; standard examples of Amberina remain very affordable.