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Vintage Copper Brown Kugel Mercury Glass Ornament with Rhinestone Starburst Trim
Add some antique charm to your Christmas decorations with this gorgeous copper brown kugel mercury glass ornament. The all-over pattern and Victorian style make it a perfect addition to any holiday collection. This medium sized spherical shaped ornament features a beautiful rhinestone starburst on the front and is topped with an antique copper cap that adds a touch of elegance to your tree.
This vintage hand-blown mercury glass ornament was produced using art glass techniques. The coppery, shining glass of this Victorian kugel ornament is a mirror into the past. Hold it in your hand and you can imagine it on an old-fashioned Christmas tree, reflecting the flickering flames of candles.
Holiday trees in 1840 were adorned with apples, gilded and natural fruits and nuts, cookies, popcorn and cranberries, as well as homemade paper items, candles, cornucopias, and presents. It was during this decade that the first commercially produced Christmas decorations appeared. In 1848, the first glass ornament, a kugel, appeared in Germany. The kugel was a large hollow ball ranging in size from 1 inch to 18 inches. Smaller ones were used for tree decorations. The blown, molded, figural glass ornaments that we are familiar with today evolved from the tradition of blowing kugels. These ornaments were not sold in America until 1880. Kugel is a German word that means "ball" and can be used to describe any type of ball-like object. Collectors used this term to describe any early thick glass ornament with a decorative cap. Early Kugels were too heavy to hang on tree branches; instead they were suspended from the ceiling. Soon after their invention, the Germans decided small Kugels should adorn tree boughs in shapes such as grapes, berry clusters, apples and pears. F. W. Woolworth is given credit for bringing Kugels to America in the 1880s. His initial investment of $25 turned into sales of at least $25 million worth of Kugels over the next several years. Kugels have a weight and beautifully aged patina that other decorations can't rival. It is perfect for anyone who loves collecting vintage blown glass ornaments and is a heirloom that will be cherished for years to come.
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