Uranium glass gift guide

Uranium glass collecting has become a very popular hobby! If you are looking for some gift inspiration for the uranium glass fanatic in your life, then you’ve come to the right place!

We’ve got suggestions for all price points, whether you want to add a special item to their collection, enhance knowledge, help with practical solutions, or do something personal and special together!

Little uranium glass gifts

Looking for something that is budget friendly for a small gift or stocking filler?

Look no further than our Etsy store. We have a range of small uranium glass items, including unusual and unique hexagonal vial gift sets and cute “magic potion” gift sets. These can’t be found anywhere else! We also stock many different types of uranium glass beads in all sizes and shapes!

These are all super affordable; beads range between £7.49 to £11.99 per pack, and the various gift sets cost between £6 and £19.99!

Antiques to impress

Uranium glass comes in all shapes and sizes. That means there are some historical oddities, and some absolutely stunning special items to be puchased from our Etsy store. These are guaranteed to thrill and delight any uranium glass collector!

Trinket/vanity dresser sets. A complete uranium glass trinket set is an absolutely stunning addition to any collection. Many are worthy of display in a museum! However, trying to find a complete set is an incredibly difficult challenge.

We typically have several vanity sets in stock on our Etsy store. You can buy with peace of mind because we provide comprehensive details about the completness and history of each set. Our stock includes Bagley (England), Walther & Söhne (Germany), and Stölzle (Czechia) amongst others. All such items are packed carefully and sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery in the UK. We also offer individual items from vanity sets, which is perfect if you are looking to complete a set!

Centrepieces. Some antique glass items were made to be centrepieces to show off to your neighbours and impress dinner party guests. One such example is the Brockwitz ‘Fruchtschale’ fruit bowl, the Joseph Inwald ‘Poisson Voilant’ (flying fish), or the ‘Fish handled bowl’ by STS Abel. These large and impressive show stoppers will be the highlight of any uranium glass collection!

Uranium glass animals. Hand made glass animals are one of the most popular categories of uranium glass. We have several ducks and dogs for sale!

Cheese/Butter Dishes. It is rather astonishing to think that uranium glass was used for kitchen items, such as cheese dishes, butter dishes, and even cutlery! We have some excellent examples, including one from Stozle featuring a cow, and the Bagley Carnival design.

Uranium perfume bottles. We have some absoultely brilliant uranium glass perfume bottles for sale, including an particularly rare and impressive Boston Sandwich perfume bottle from crica 1810! It really does belong in a museum, but it could be in your collection!

Books for uranium glass collectors

Many uranium glass hunters don’t start off as antique experts! But the glass we seek has fascinating histories. Fortunately there have been some great references books published by experts over the years. These are filled with beautiful pictures of antique uranium and vaseline glass, and so are absolutely lush coffee table books!

Here are some of our favourites:

All the above are published by Schiffer and are available as hardcovers wherever you find books. The books by Barrie Skelcher are UK-orienated with more technical detail, whereas Sue C. Davis covers North America and has absolutely outstanding pictures. Prices vary, but good deals can be found. Personally I think it worth picking up all four, but I recommend starting with one appropriate to where you live. Not much North American glass ends up in Europe/The UK and vice versa!

N.B. Affiliate Link Disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase a book from the above Amazon Link(s) then LumiVintageGlass may receive a small comission from Amazon at no extra cost to you.

Storage and lighting

Display cabinets. Collecting uranium glass is an exciting hobby, but it does give rise to the rather practical issue of storage! Where do you put all that glowing glass? A display cabinet!

Many collectors swear by IKEA storage cabinets such as the Fabrikor or Milsbo ranges. These are not cheap though, so you may want to hunt for them second hand/used for a good discount!

Extra shelves for display cabinets. There’s usually a lot of empty vertical space in display cabinets, but not that much space in a home! A clever solution is to buy extra shelves for a display cabinet. Suprisingly IKEA don’t sell spare shelves for their offerings, but there are plenty of Etsy sellers who will make you extra shelves out of glass or perspex on a custom basis. So far we’ve found that transparent perspex is functional and doesn’t glow under UV light. However, perspex can get scratched and/or sag under significant weight. So when choosing your shelf material it is worth considering if it’s for “best display” or for “overflow storage” purposes! Also, don’t forget to buy the brackets needed to hold the shelf, which can be ordered from the IKEA spare parts services>

UV flashlight/torch. Whether on the go, or at home, a good UV torch is essential for hunting uranium glass and appreciating your collection at home. The UV torch technologies are getting better all the time, so we can’t recommend a particular make or model. However, 395 nm is the best wavelength for identifying uranium glass. Whereas a 365 nm torch can get a glow from both manganese glass (weak glow) and uranium glass (much stronger glow).

In general, a more powerful torch (indicated by Watts or Lumens rating) is better. However, care must be taken not to point it at anyone’s eyes!

Shop 395 nm UV torches: [Amazon UK link] [Amazon USA link] [Amazon CA link]

Shop 365 nm UV torches: [Amazon UK link] [Amazon USA link] [Amazon CA link] #ad

Home display lights. Why not enhance a uranium glass display by installing some permanent UV lights? There are some handy options out there, such as self-adhesive UV LED strips (which can be connected in various configurations), or larger LED lighting panels. These are commonly available from large websites. 395 nm is the most common LED choice and is suitable for uranium glass.

Shop UV LED lights: [Amazon UK link] [Amazon USA link] [Amazon CA link] #ad

Uranium glass accessories

There are some things every uranium glass collector needs!

Geiger counter. A geiger counter is a really helpful tool to help find uranium glass and other radioactive items, such as vaseline glass, fiestaware, and uranium glazed ceramics. Geiger counters tend to be available on Amazon and eBay. Most uranium glass enthusiasts like the ‘GQ’ range of geiger counters for affordability, ease of use, and established reputation. These are currently around $60 USD, $70 CAD, or £87 GBP on Amazon. Prices may vary. #ad

Thoughtful ideas

Want something even more personal? Why not try one of these ideas?

  • Take them on a glass hunting trip to flea markets, antique centre, thrift stores, or charity shops! This is a great way to spend time together.

  • Take them on a trip to a glass museum. Why not make a weekend or holiday out of it? There are several world-famous destinations, including the island of Murano in Venice, Italy; Chihuly Glass Garden in Seattle, and the slightly less glamarous National Glass Centre in Sunderland, England.

  • Write or draw something personal with fluorescent ink (highlighter pens do the trick). They could display it next to their collection.

  • Offer to listen to them describe the background of every item in their glowing glass collection! The glass collector in your life is probably very knowledgable and would love to tell you all about their collection in detail!

  • Help them build a display cabinet and lighting system! Trust me, building a display cabinet by yourself is possible, but is not easy!