Ruffled rims, milky edges that glow like moonlight, and a shimmer that turns every color of the rainbow when you tilt your head. At Pollyanna’s Antiques, we’ve gathered a colorful collection of carnival and opalescent glass that looks like a candy shop window in the best possible way.
The Iridescent Charm of Carnival Glass
Three of these pieces carry that unmistakable carnival shine. A marigold footed compote with a ruffled top is pressed with leaves and fruit, and its orange glow is as warm as a harvest afternoon. Nearby sits a soft peach bowl with a basketweave border and crimped edge, and a ruffled bowl edged in deep purple with rows of raised dots that shimmer blue, gold and rose. Carnival glass rose to popularity in the early 1900s, when makers sprayed pressed glass with metallic salts to give it a lustrous, oil-on-water finish that once only fine art glass could offer.
Opalescent Glass That Glows at the Edges
The other half of the collection is all about light. A blue opalescent compote on a ribbed stem shows off a frosty white rim, and a clear bowl with a wide ruffled edge and raised flowers melts into the same milky glow. The showstopper may be the hobnail basket, covered in rounded bumps, finished with a ruffled opalescent rim, and topped with a tall twisted glass handle. That white edge appears when the glassmaker reheats certain areas of the piece, so every rim glows a little differently.
Grouped together on a sunny windowsill or in a china cabinet, these pieces catch the light all day long. On their own, they make a lovely candy dish, a spot for a few garden blooms, or a gift for someone who loves color.
Come see this rainbow in person at Pollyanna’s Antiques, 287 North Avenue in downtown Mt. Clemens. We’re open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 to 4, and there’s plenty more glass waiting to catch your eye.