You can probably immediately think of items of coloured glass you have seen such as green beer bottles or cobalt blue tincture bottles. However, have you ever tried to figure out how this glass is made?
A number of materials are commonly used for glass colours, including cobalt, lead, uranium, copper and even gold. Colour is what you notice first about the glass, and is usually one of the most beautiful elements.
The colour of a glass container itself can determine how desirable it is – and how much you can upsell any product made from it. The exact same essential oil can sell for a premium in turquoise bottles compared with ones with clear glass, for example.
Today, manufacturers have precise control over the colour of glass, but it was not always this easy. Centuries ago, it was coloured by random experimentation. Fortunately, we have come a long way! For all your glass needs, clear or coloured, consider Glass Suppliers Bath. Visit a site like Roman Glass, suppliers of Glass Suppliers Bath.
Some relics of the earliest stained glass came from Mesopotamia and Egypt. Jabir ibn Hayyan, a Persian chemist from the eighth century, made a recipe for colouring glass. He found that the oxidation of the metal is the catalyst for colouring – and that is what earned him the moniker of Father of Chemistry.
Following this discovery, coloured glass became a serious competition. Soon, religious groups began clamouring for custom stained glass designs and stained glass was born.