Melissa Stone – An Xperience Interview

By Joshua Scarselli.

Have you ever looked at your food and thought, “I would really like a side of radiation with this?” Well then, you have come to the right place. Uranium glass aficionado Dr. Melissa B. Stone tells us everything we need to know about the beautiful world of uranium glass.

RRX: What is uranium glass?

MS: Uranium glass has been produced since the 1830s and involves the addition of uranium oxides to glass, which results in a color change. Because of the addition of uranium, all uranium glass is radioactive to some extent and glows under UV light. Most uranium glass is vintage or antique, but some is still produced to this day, mostly by smaller, individual glass workers, though. Uranium glass can be any color (typically not clear, colorless glass, though), but green and yellow glass are the most common colors of uranium glass by far. Regardless of glass color, though, all uranium glass glows green under UV light. However, when uranium glass was first produced, UV lights didn’t exist, so why did they bother adding uranium to the glass? The main reason is that the addition of uranium typically changes the overall color of the glass. Secondly, though, many owners of uranium glass over the years would put their glass pieces in windowsills to view the glow. During dawn and dusk, when the UV radiation from the sun is at just the right angle, uranium glass has a faint, green glow to it. So although UV lights didn’t exist back when uranium glass was first produced, many still enjoyed the faint glow their pieces had during low light hours. Uranium glass remained fairly common in the US until the 1940s, during WW2, when the US began the Manhattan Project. Most uranium was funneled towards making weapons rather than glassware during that time, and commercial use of uranium in glass almost stopped. After WW2 ended, however, some companies continued using uranium in their glass, and many collectors have their pieces in their collections today, oftentimes not even knowing their pieces glow. To the best of my knowledge, though, the major companies producing uranium glass over the years have all shuttered their doors, so most uranium glass is now vintage or antique.

RRX: Are there other types of glass that glow, or is it only uranium glass?

MS: Yes! There are other additives to glass that can cause it to glow under UV light. Manganese glass, which is often confused with uranium glass, has a yellow-green glow to it, and is typically found in clear, colorless glass but can also be found in glass of other colors. Aside from uranium, cadmium and selenium are the most well-known additives collectors like to collect in glass. Cadmium causes glass to glow a yellow to orange color, while the addition of selenium in glass results in a beautiful pink to red color when glowing under UV light. Cerium glass also causes glass to glow (it glows a very pretty blue) but is very common, even in today’s modern glassware and is not highly sought after. Boron nitride also causes glass to glow a yellow color. Boron nitride was used as a mold-releasing agent while glass was blown in mold, and some of it would mix with the glass, leaving behind a mixture that glows under UV.

RRX: What got you interested in uranium glass?

MS: I’m a big fan of social media, and one day while scrolling through Facebook, I saw a post by someone displaying their gorgeous green glowing glassware, or uranium glass, and I had to learn more about it. So I joined a few uranium glass groups and started looking up everything I could about it. After a few months of this, I finally mustered the courage to go hunting for it myself. I still remember the first pieces I ever found. The very first uranium glass “pieces” I found were two glowing uranium glass marbles, and shortly after, I found my very first uranium glass plate and juice cup. It was so exciting finding the marbles and then the glassware that I was automatically hooked! Every time I find a new piece, I feel the exact same amount of excitement. It’s such a fun hobby!

RRX: What interests you the most about uranium glass?

MS: I love the green glow! I think it’s so exciting to find it too! I also love finding pieces with a history. Looking up the makers and years of production sometimes sends you down a rabbit hole of information. I get such a kick out of each piece’s history, and the radioactivity of each piece is an added bonus. I also like finding deals and just shopping in general. So when I find a piece for $10 at an estate sale that’s actually worth $450 on eBay, I get a rush of adrenaline like no other! Then, when that piece GLOWS on top of it, I feel almost euphoric while buying it. It’s such a fun hobby, I highly recommend trying! Finally, uranium glass is perfectly safe to own and wear (I have a small jewelry collection, too). But it’s fun to know the pieces I’m admiring for the day have an almost sinister secret – they’re made with the same element as the atomic bombs in WW2. But conversely, each piece has an almost magical beauty to it, unlike the destruction that was caused by the bombs.

RRX: Where can I find uranium glass now?

MS: Uranium glass is typically found at antique stores, thrift stores, flea markets, antique fairs, and estate sales. Some people like using Facebook marketplace and online vintage/antique shopping, like on eBay, Goodwill online, or whatnot. If hunting in person, though, shine your UV light on all the glass you see (just don’t shine in anyone’s eyes!), and you’ll be amazed at what a different world of glow you’ll find yourself in. And yes, people will ask you what you’re doing!

RRX: What’s the process like when you go uranium glass hunting?

MS: The first tool you’ll need in order to hunt for glowy glass is a UV flashlight. These can be found anywhere from Walmart to Amazon for dirt cheap, but for uranium glass, you’ll want at least a UV 395 nm flashlight. This is the wavelength that in general, if you shine it on glass and it glows green, you’ve found uranium glass. Another wavelength, UV 365 nm, also causes uranium glass to glow green, but that wavelength can also pick up the sickly green manganese glow that’s found in quite a bit of glass. Now, there’s nothing wrong with manganese glass, but it’s not radioactive like uranium glass; it’s far more common, and it’s generally less sought after. I use a dual UV 365/395 nm light that I carry with me everywhere I go. I think I have five or six of them, actually! But when hunting, you’ll want to shine your light on all the glass you see. Even some ceramic glazes have uranium in them (think of Fiestaware and Drip-o-lator), but they will only react to UV 365 flashlights, and they tend to be very spicy! “Spicy” is slang for radioactive if you’ve never heard the term used like that before. The higher the radioactivity, the spicier the piece!

It’s really very easy to find uranium glass once you’ve got the light, though. Antique shops tend to have it, and thrift stores, estate sales, and flea markets are great places to hunt. Just set the wavelength on your flashlight to 395 nm and start shining it on glass! A general rule of thumb is that clear/colorless glass that glows green is usually manganese glass and not uranium, so make sure to focus more on colorful glass. Green tends to be the most common uranium glass color (all uranium glass glows green regardless of the glass color, though), but blues, yellows (vaseline glass will always glow!), custard glass, jadeite, and even the oddball carnival glass have the potential of glowing from uranium content. So just shine your light on every piece you see, and if it glows a bright green color, chances are you just found uranium glass! The only way to be certain, though, is to test the glass with a Geiger counter, and yes I do own one of those!

RRX: How did you start making videos about uranium glass?

MS: I have a few hyper fixations, and uranium glass is very much one of them, but I first started making videos on social media to connect with people and make them laugh. I’m chronically ill and disabled, and social media is somewhat of a lifeline to the outside world for me. I don’t leave my house very often, except to go hunting for glass or to go to a doctor’s appointment. Once I started collecting uranium glass, though, I began to meet people through our shared love for glowy glass, and I realized we all have shared experiences of going hunting for glass, finding amazing bargains on vintage glass, and even being judged for collecting radioactive antiques. Yup, people judge us! So, for the hell of it and just to get some laughs, I started making short comedy skits highlighting the struggles of the uranium glass hunter! I’ve even spun off onto another account that discusses the struggles of chronically ill and disabled people. Social media is such a great way to connect with people, whether to discuss the best price for our next glass haul or to commiserate over the costs of medication.

RRX: Is there anything you’d like to add and where can people follow you?

MS: Uranium glass hunting can be a really fun hobby if you’ve got the extra time to go thrifting! Prices of each piece range from a dollar, anywhere up to thousands of dollars so there is something for almost everyone! And if you go hunt enough, you may even score a free piece or two (I’ve gotten a couple free pieces in my day)! Once you’ve gotten past looking weird with a uv light (I recommend keeping what you’re doing to yourself – some people like to increase prices once they know you’re looking for glowy glass, although that is very bad business in my opinion), you’ll have the best time seeing the world through the eyes of UV light, and it can be mesmerizing! Then, when you find that very first piece, you’ll feel a rush like no other! Every time you find a piece after that, you’ll feel that exact same rush, and omg does it feel good!! So good luck and happy hunting!! I hope you find some good deals, and feel free to show them to me – I love a good glow pic!

If you’d like to follow me, I can be found on Instagram and TikTok under the username, @gregarious.glass, by Mel Stone.

 

All photos provided by Melissa Stone