The importance of coloured glass
Posted by The Wares Team on 20th Mar 2023
You may have wondered why some types of glass are coloured for specific purposes, such as brown beer bottle glasses or amber cosmetic glass jars. So today, we're going to look at the role and importance of coloured glass and consider how you might use coloured glass jars around the home.
Where is coloured glass found?
Coloured glass is found in so many applications and fields in our daily lives. Artists have used it for hundreds of years to create beautiful pieces, from medieval stained glass windows to coloured blown glass bowls and homewares. It is used to denote safety - such as when we see red, amber and green lights in our outdoor environment. It is also used to keep specific chemical, medical and food products safe and prevent them from spoiling, harnessing the UV light-blocking properties of glass and other natural protective effects.
Why is coloured glass important?
Coloured glass has been used for years to help preserve and protect the contents of glass jars, long before other types of chemical preservatives were available. For example:
Amber glass
- Familiar with the amber beer bottle? Beer and other light-sensitive drinks have long been stored in amber glass beer bottles, which effectively block nearly all UV radiation.
- Amber cosmetic jar ranges are common with higher-end products, more traditional brands and also antique cosmetic glass jars, again for the protective effects of this pretty glass.
- Amber-coloured glass is also used by essential oil bottlers and pharmaceutical businesses because it offers a high degree of protection for chemically volatile compounds, which can easily become damaged if exposed to UV light.
- For this reason, amber glass is also often seen in the windows of places that store artwork and antiques, again, to help mitigate the effects of the sun.
Cobalt blue glass
- Cobalt blue glass is commonly used for decorative blue glass bottles and jars, but it's also a good colour for storing health and wellness products that are less sensitive to light. For example, many natural brands will use a blue glass jar range to maintain the integrity of their natural formulations and to avoid the need for chemical preservatives.
Green glass
- Green glass is perhaps most commonly associated with wine and olive oil storage. Again, the glass provides a degree of protection, but only at the level that these less sensitive products need. Olive oil and wine can absorb some UV light without any negative impact on their efficacy or flavour.
Clear glass
- Uncoloured or clear glass is ideal for water, food, products and other contents that don't require sun protection. When it is stored in glass, milk bottles tend to be clear, because milk will not spoil with some exposure to UV and it only has a short shelf-life anyway. This helps manufacturers to keep the cost of glass production down because the time and cost involved in tinting glass can significantly add to its cost.
How is glass coloured?
The glass colouration process is a precise one that uses oxides in small and precise quantities. These oxides are carefully milled and can include iron pyrite, anthracite and chrome flour. These minerals are mined primarily in places such as South Africa and shipped all over the world to make glass bottles, jars and plate glass.
Interesting facts about glass
Glass is one of those everyday items that we take entirely for granted! But it's actually a wonder in its own right. Here are some interesting facts to consider about this hard-working home staple:
1. Volcanic lava is so hot that it can turn into glass. Lightening can also turn sand into glass!
2. Commercial glass is made from sand, mixed with soda ash or lime and heated to incredibly high temperatures. Once cooled, it becomes glass.
3. Different coloured oxides make different glass. For example, violet glass is made by adding nickel oxide.
4. When glass breaks, the crack forms at a whopping 3000mph, which is five times the speed of a jet aircraft.
5. Glass windows have been around since the 17th century.
6. One of the most important art artefacts in the world is the Portland Vase, which was made in Rome sometime between AD5-AD25. It's been stored at the British Museum for more than 200 years.
7. Perhaps the most mind-blowing fact of all is that glass isn't a solid. But it's also not a liquid, or a gas! In its cooled form, it is an amorphous solid, which means that its molecules continue to move. Glass does actually visibly 'slide' over hundreds of years, which you can sometimes see in ancient glass windows.
Discover our range of coloured glass
Whether you're looking for a glass beer bottle range to develop your own home brews for a local food market, a blue glass bottle selection to store your handmade lavender salve, or simply some pretty glass options to decorate your home, you'll find a wide range of coloured glass bottles and jars at Wares of Knutsford. Check out our range today!