Description
Here is a lovely teardrop piece of antique ‘Swedish Blue’ glass laid in a traditional setting of twisted wire and dots accents. The teardrop is a long, thin shape and the framing gives it a little more dimension. It’s a pretty example of Swedish Blue, mostly opaque with some transparent spots, and an interesting pattern that reminds me of field grasses.
The “stone” measures about 1″ x 1/2″.
The entire pendant, including the bail, measures about 1-5/8″ x 3/4″.
What is Swedish Blue? It is a stunning blue glass that can be found in Sweden. It is a result of old iron smelting techniques that were in place from the 1300s to the mid 1800s. The “slag” is a waste product from the iron smelting activity. It is a glass, formed by the silica in the earth from which the iron has been extracted. This slag was a result of iron smelting all over the globe, but Sweden has a high level of cobalt in their earth – resulting in a gorgeous blue slag. Today, chunks of this blue glass can be found in areas where these historic iron foundries once existed. While it’s hard to know for sure, the Swedish Blue in this piece of jewelry is probably from the early 1800s.