What is Tiffany iridescence and how did Tiffany and his circle achieve this effect?
Tiffany iridescence refers to the sheen and color-shifting properties of the glass surface. This was achieved by mixing together many colors of chemically pigmented glass and adding metal salts.
Tiffany and his studios were inspired by the iridescent quality of ancient glass (achieved through thousands of years of being buried and reacting to the environment) and scientifically worked out how to recreate it!
This case of Tiffany objects is like THE Tiffany; the one who makes the silver jewelry today?
Not quite, but close! The glass company was founded by Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of Charles Lewis Tiffany who founded the silver company that has its headquarters on 5th Avenue today.
Can you tell me about the peacock vase? My grandma had one that looked similar and I’m wondering if it might have been Tiffany.
The one you see here was created by Tiffany Studios and it's possible that your grandmother's was as well. It's also worth mentioning that a large market for reproduction Tiffany glass emerged soon after the studio closed.
This type of iridescent or opalescent glass is known as "Favrile" glass, an innovation of Tiffany Studios around the turn of the 20th century.
Do you know if Tiffany reproductions have any increased value?
Some high quality Tiffany glass reproductions have become quite valuable themselves.
Despite not being made under the Tiffany label, these pieces are also beautiful works of art that were created by highly skilled individuals.