There is something so rich and luxurious about ruby glassware. Maybe it is it's rich history, or just how it looks on the table. Food looks more sumptuous, and drinks taste better. It seems like the glassware of royalty.

For me, ruby glassware reminds me of my childhood, when my grandparents had some ruby glasses in their house. I used to drink out of them as a child, loving the rich color, but not understanding any of the history behind the glasses.

Glasses pictured above are Vintage Ruby Red Highball Glasses,

Ruby glassware is best known for both Victorian glass, and later depression glass. The rich ruby color is created using gold, so it is more expensive than other glass colors. Ruby glass is a dark red color similar to the gemstone that it is named for. It was a popular Victorian color that continued to be popular after Victorian times.

Sometimes the red color is added to clear glass by a process called flashing. Flashed glass is clear glass dipped in a colored glass, then pressed or cut. Stained glass has color painted on a clear glass. Then it is refired so the stain fuses with the glass.

Ruby glass has never been easy to make. A slight mishap in the formulation can muddy a batch of glass and render it useless, therefore, ruby glass still gets the same hand blown or molded treatment it did 100 years ago.

Ruby glass, also known as gold ruby glass is not the same as cranberry glass. They are both made from gold, but the color is a stronger red because there is more gold chloride in gold ruby glass than in cranberry glass.

During the Victorian era, many beautiful lamps and lampshades were made from ruby glass. A good resource for Victorian lamps is Chamber Lamps: 19th Century Patterned Art Glass : Identification & Value Guide. Not all the  lamps listed are ruby glass lamps, but it has terrific pictures of chamber lamps that are a good place to start if you are interested in collecting ruby glass lamps.

It is much more difficult to find chamber lamps in perfect condition, but the hunt is well worth the trouble, because they are just such a beautiful addition to your home or office.