Mercury rising: Rediscover mercury glass for the holidays

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Is it just us, or does it seem like mercury glass is popping up all over the place lately? And while we're thinking about it, does it seem to be dusting off the must and spiffing itself up into a jazzier guise? Nope, it's not just us.

Three years ago, mercury glass started to make a bit of a comeback, says Jennifer Sypeck, director of trend and product development for Smith & Hawken. And two years ago, it started a full-fledged renaissance. Sypeck thinks its re-emergence has to do with the economic climate: People want a piece of the past, but they don't want to spend a ton.

"They're looking for something substantial that has a craft to it," Sypeck says. "Something that's not trendy, but fashionable and won't be outdated in three or four years. People are being much smarter about how they spend their money."

So what is mercury glass, anyway? Is it glass? Is it silver? Does it have mercury in it?

Sometimes known as silvered glass, it contains neither silver nor mercury (at least, not anymore).

It's clear, reflective glass that is blown double-walled, then coated on the inside with a silvering material. (Once upon a time, some manufacturers did try to line the glass with mercury, but the element's toxicity put the brakes on that method.)

Mercury glass dates back to early 19th-century Germany and was originally used in doorknobs and candlesticks as a tarnish-free substitute for silver; it was even once known as "poor man's silver," Sypeck says. It eventually caught on in England, France and America, where it took a more decorative turn for things like vases, goblets and spittoons.

Now, along with traditional silver mercury glass, you can find a host of colors as well as some funkier styles, from contemporary to midcentury modern. Here's a look at what we found under the mercury glass tree this year.

XTREME XMAS TREES

The look? "The Jetsons" meets "Mad Men." Our response? CB2 trees, meet our dining room table. Right. Now.

Colors: Pink, olivine, silver and pearl (in small only)

Where: CB2, Crate & Barrel's sister store (www.CB2.com)

Price: $6.95, small; $14.95, large

ANTIQUE COPPER BALLS

These beauties add antiqued shimmer to either a tabletop or your tree.

Color: Copper

Where: Crate & Barrel (www.crateandbarrel.com)

Price: Ornament, $4.95; small ball, $12.95; large ball, $19.95

GOLDEN FRUIT ORNAMENTS

Mercury glass comes in the form of traditional seasonal fruits_pears and pomegranates_in these elegant, reflective Smith & Hawken ornaments. They can also be tied to gift packages.

Color: Gold

Where: Smith & Hawken, www.smithandhawken.com

Price: Single pear or pomegranate, $22 (at press time, on sale for $17); $80, set of four (on sale for $70)

MERCURY GLASS TREE

These transitional trees don't shed pine needles, and they fit perfectly on a mantel!

Find the best Christmas presents at Catholic Online Shopping

Colors: Green-gold

Where: Smith & Hawken

Price: small, $39; large, $59

COOL BLUE VOTIVE HOLDERS

How to make a piece of blue mercury glass even cooler? Make it a votive holder. Watching candles flicker in these gives us a snowy-cozy, wrapped-up-in-a-fleece-throw kind of feeling. We likey.

Colors: Antiqued blue

Where: Wisteria; www.wisteria.com,

Price: $28 per set. They come in sets of four and six, with each set containing smooth and ribbed glass. Votive holders in the four-piece set are larger than those in the six-piece set.

PILLAR CANDLEHOLDERS

For a traditional table or mantel, these antique-looking pieces shine a lovely light.

Colors: Silver

Where: Wisteria.

Price: $39, $49

Source: Martha Stewart Living

___

© 2008, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.