We’ve shared the history of glass and the reasons why glass ‘sparkles’, but one of the other common questions we get is how glass gets its color. When Laurel creates a stained glass
window or you buy a beautiful purple glass vase, the glass gets its color from simple chemistry. By adding in certain minerals, pigments (which are mineral salts) or chemicals to the base of silica (SiO2) we can create the color, add to its intensity or combine it for unusual results. When working with glass, not only do you need to be an artist, but you also need some basic chemistry knowledge. So for every 5th grader wondering if they’ll ever ‘need that stuff’, here’s proof that science can create beauty:
Color You Want Chemical You Add
White Antimony Oxides or Tin Compounds
Black Manganese, Cobalt and Iron
Brown Iron Oxides
Deep Blue Cobalt Oxide
Light Blue Copper Compounds
Green Iron Oxides
Yellow Green Uranium Oxides (this one glows!)
Yellow Lead with Antimony
Ruby Red Gold Chloride
Red Selenium Compounds
Amber Manganese Oxides
If you’ve got questions on how we get to a certain color, feel free to email us info(at)bottlesupglass(dot)com or come on by the studios on Bluffton. We’d love to meet you.