Jadeite – vintage glassware

Lovely jade colored vintage glass ware was first produced in the 1930’s by the McKee Company.  There was a lot of colored glass produced during that time that is now referred to as Depression glass.  It was cheap colorful glass that was often given away as premiums at movie theaters or in boxes of oats or detergent.  

The Jeanette glass company actually coined the term “Jadeite” in the 1940’s but Anchor Hocking’s Fire King line made the milky green glass a household staple as their glassware was extra strong and tempered to be used in modern day stoves and ovens of the time period.   Anchor Hocking’s Fire King Jadeite was generally thicker and was massively produced for commercial use in restaurants and hospitals as well as for home use and was mostly marked with the brand on the bottom.  Jeanette and McKee Jadeite.

In the late 1990’s, entertainment guru Martha Stewart shared her passion for collecting Jadeite on her television show and magazines and the popular green glass became wildly popular again and prices went sky high!  Also, as in most wildly popular collectibles, reproductions flooded the market as well.

It is pretty easy to find jadeite online or at your local antique shop.  It is best not to put vintage Jadeite in the microwave or dishwasher.  Modern reproductions should be fine.  Vintage Jadeite can vary in hue.  Since this glass was massively and cheaply made during and after The Depression, some pieces can be darker or lighter than others of the same pattern or maker.

When collecting Jadeite, make sure you study up on it so you don’t get duped by reproductions and learn how to identify the real thing if you are a purist;  examine pieces closely for chips and cracks.  Some pieces can be pretty cheap and other can cost hundreds!

Happy Collecting!