(Editor’s note: DeeDee Wood is the owner of Black Cat Curiosities, an online antiques research and sales venue.)
Recently, I took my American Brilliant Cut punch bowl to a Christmas party. It sparkled in the light, holding a large amount of spiked eggnog and a dash of nutmeg swirling in the top, a clear glass ladle spinning around as partygoers obtained their libations with an accompanying cup that matched the bowl.
As I stood, while talking about my punch bowl, no one knew what American Brilliant Glass was — nor did they seemed to be very interested in anything but the eggnog within.
However, there was once a time when having Brilliant glass was a status symbol, due to manufacturing techniques, costs and labor of the item.
The American Brilliant Period (aka ABP) refers to a time between roughly 1870 and 1920, when cut glass from the United States was considered some of the finest crafted glass in the world.
The glass was known for its brilliance, which came from its lead content, which could be as high as 50 percent.
Cut by hand on various sizes of wheels and varying amounts of painstaking labor, and polished to perfection, to have “ABP” was a symbol of status and luxury, for gift-giving, parties and as part of a noble house collection.
Immigrants to the United States during this time period, coming from European glass houses with their cutting skills, glass knowledge and acumen, helped American glass houses make some of the finest cut lead crystal glass in the world-some call it the Victorian Glass Reneissance.
Before American Brilliant Glass became popular and considered supreme, it was the glass houses in
Ireland, England and France that had the reputation for the finest glass anywhere.
The Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 gave manufacturers (for which later there would be more than 1,000 cutting shops producing ABP in the United States during this glass reign), a chance to showcase their deep cut, brilliant glass.
Decanters, glasses, platters, bowls and more, were showcased and techniques explained and displayed, and the results were skyrocketing popularity and immediate popularity.
An item that was hand-cut on a wheel, hand-polished, and brilliantly gleaming with lead content enchanted the masses.
Antique collectors can recognize ABP glass in a variety of ways.
Its lead content makes it quite heavy to the touch, so lifting up a piece immediately tells you there is lead contained within.
The patterns cut into the glass, first done by hand, then later, cut from pattern layovers in the soft glass and polished, symbolize ABP-geometric patterns and thick cut adornments really stand out to collectors, with geo-centers swirling within a serving plate, sharp edges and mimics of floral patterns round out ways to spot the cutting techniques in this unique, American antique product.
As with many ingenious, innovative techniques in the antiques market, they can be replaced with cheaper, less expensive methods of production.
The fall of American Brilliant Glass came from something called “pressed glass”, which was a way to press in patterns to molds, without having to cut it by hand.
The results weren’t as glorious, but changing tastes, pocketbooks and styles, as well as the cost of World War I, caused the more expensive, decadent ABP to take a back seat to cheaper methods and more availability to the normal consumer.
ABP definitely had a time period and a reign over what some call the golden age of cut glass.
