What is uranium glass?
Uranium glass is glass made with uranium dioxide for color. The uranium dioxide content causes the glass to fluoresce bright green under a UV blacklight. Uranium dioxide was, and still is, added to glass because it produces brilliant, beautiful colors unmatched by any other glassmaking method. It comes in a huge variety of colors, especially in jewelry.
Classic green transparent uranium glass
The most common color in both glassware and jewelry
Ring was made by Ostby Barton
Vaseline glass
This name comes from its resemblance to the neon yellow color of vaseline ointment back in the day
Custard glass
Called this due to its resemblance to custard dessert
Common in both jewelry and glassware
Photo is of my Juliana D&E custard glass collection
Green opaline
Opaline glass is Bohemian or French from the mid-to-late 1800s
Yellow opaline
Burmese glass
Burmese is a pink to yellow/custard ombre
Photo is Gibson Glass pitcher set
Jadite uranium glass
Not all jadite is uranium glass, but jadite can be uranium
Photo is a McKee bottoms up shot glass
Photo credit: Amy Guiliano Jarnutowski
Jade / chrysoprase uranium glass
Most often used in jewelry to simulate jade and chrysoprase stone
Dark blue uranium glass
Most often found in jewelry
Light blue
Dark emerald green uranium glass
Present but rare in both glassware and jewelry
Topaz uranium glass
Most common in jewelry but can be found in glassware also
Yellow satin glass
Most commonly found in jewelry but has also been seen in drawer knobs and pulls
Pink uranium glass
Pink is usually uranium because it has custard or yellow opal uranium glass mixed in and you can see the swirls, or because it is cased over top, such as the vase in this example
The only true pink uranium glass ever made were these peach pink gems in the 1980s
Pink glassware that glows is almost always manganese glass and not uranium
Red and orange uranium glass
Usually found in antique French and Czech jewelry, such as this Louis Rousselet necklace, both not unheard of in glassware