Webmaster’s Selection – Mica

Nov 15, 2013
Issue 1862

This is a lamp shaft shape 8002 in Bristol Yellow with mica flecked decoration. With the Bristol Yellow handles it matches the description of this shape in the factory records exactly.

What is Mica-Flecked Decoration?
Paul Gardner in The Glass of Frederick Carder at page 77 says:

“This technique was known long before Carder used it at Steuben. It consists of picking up pulverized mica flakes from the marver on the hot gather of glass and covering them with another layer of glass before the whole mass is worked into the desired form. The flakes varied in size and density of application…. It will be noted that the silvery color of the mica flecks changes and assumes tints of the color of the covering glass. Mica flecks were also combined with air-trap decoration and called Silverina, not to be confused with the Silveria made by Stevens & Williams.”

Symposium 2024
Carder Steuben Glass Association
20-21 September 2024
© Carder Steuben Glass Association Inc.