Cool as Glass: Affordable Collecting
I love glass. It reflects light, and colored glass glows. Glass is translucent, so light passes through it and an object made of glass doesn’t block the light in a room. As a result, glass brightens and lightens the look of a room and, I hope, the mood of anyone in the room. I found the glass pieces you’ll see in the carousel photos below preowned on eBay and in thrift shops. So I’m supporting individuals and small businesses, and giving these objects a new home, while I save money.
I’m drawn to handblown pieces made at the Blenko Glass Company in Milton, West Virginia, and to signed pieces made in Murano, the world-famous islands in the Venetian Lagoon where the art of glassmaking has been perfected and passed down since the late 1200s.
A cool thing about collecting glass is that we can find interesting and often significant pieces fairly easily–and we can even do it without breaking the bank. The photos in the carousel below feature works from Murano, from the Blenko Glass Company, and discontinued pieces from IKEA that are now considered collector’s items. Who knew?
Photo 1: Italian Murano Blue Scavo Corroso Glass Vase with chain decoration (eBay at past_and_present 2000) Scavo corroso refers to a Murano glass technique that combines two distinct finishes: scavo (Italian for "dug up"), which creates a pitted, ancient look using ash or salts, and corroso (Italian for "corroded"), an acidic treatment that dissolves the glass surface for a weathered, stone-like appearance. The combined technique produces a visually unique, frosted, and pitted effect on glass pieces, often seen on vases and other art glass, giving them a timeless, archaeological appearance.
Photo 2: Vintage Cenedese Murano Vase Garlic Bulb Corroso Modernist Italian Art (eBay at furstandlast). Note that this piece is only treated with the corroso technique, and not both scavo and corroso. So the surface is cloudy, as if corroded, but it doesn’t appear to be “dug up.”
Photo 3: Vintage Handblown Art Glass Blenko Style Teal Round Vase (eBay at kathysplace)
Photo 4: Wine decanter from thrift shop
Photo 5: IKEA Retired Modernist Salong Handblown Turquoise Blue Vase (eBay at allthingsfunandvintage)
Photo 6: Vintage Blenko Teal Handblown Crackle Vase (eBay at upnorthtreasure). Blenko glass is special because it is handblown using traditional techniques, known for its vibrant, deep colors, and features unique, often modernist designs with a distinctive heft and thickness.
Photo 7: Vintage IKEA Handblown Turquoise Vase Retired 1980s (eBay at fri_4605)
Photo 8: Vidrios San Miguel Aqua Blue Vase Handmade in Spain (eBay at thrifted_attic)
Photo 9: MCM Handblown Chrome Yellow Blenko Glass Vase (eBay at katiestash)
Photo 10: Blenko Handblown Art Glass Green Donut Vase with Ruffled Edge (eBay at nin1527). Notice that the ruffled-edge Blenko donut vases in Photos 10 and 11 are not identical in shape. That’s because the handblown process results in each piece being unique, with slight variations and a tangible quality.
Photo 11: Vintage Art Glass Aqua Blue Blenko Style Donut Hole Pinched Glass Ruffled Vase (eBay at narter6)
