(Editor’s note: DeeDee Wood is the owner of Black Cat Curiosities, an online antiques research and sales venue.)
February is the month of receiving bouquets of flowers, but are the vases or containers utilized to showcase the beauty of these tokens of love ever considered?.
Amberina is a gradated, two-toned vintage glass object, receiving its name from the gradual transformation from amber to bright red. 
This “magical” gradation happens when gold is added to basic amber glass, and the upper portion is reheated after the piece is made, making a chemical reaction that causes the upper amber portion to turn bright red. (Gold in glass turns items red, due to a process in the chemicals of potash in glass.)
Joseph Locke, who in 1883 worked for New England Glass Company in Massachusetts, patented this process.
NEGC was a major producer of this beautiful glassware, (NEGC later became Libbey Glass), but many companies in the United States and Europe copied this popular style, and even created other colors using other chemicals in the top portion of the glasswork.
When collecting pieces of vintage amberina glass, pieces made in the late 19th century are the most valuable.
There was the Art Glass Movement during this time period that appreciated and enhanced new techniques and coloring using chemical processes, causing an interest in unusual creations with vibrant color, such as the red in amberina glass.
Amberina glassware comes in a variety of styles, sizes, and functions. Vases, table use, molded pieces that reuse familiar patterns (such as ribbed or diamond), and dresser sets are just a few of the pieces you will find on the hunt for amberina glass.
Many think it is a popular glass creation to collect due to its history, innovation techniques, the uniqueness of the two-toned presentation, and the shear beauty of gold to red.
