Dark Purple Beach Glass

by Kelly Thaden
(Austin Texas)

Very Dark Purple Insulator Glass (stock photo)

Very Dark Purple Insulator Glass (stock photo)

~ sea glass question submitted by Kelly Thaden in Austin, Texas

"I have some really dark purple pieces.

They are so dark you can only see the color by holding it up to the sun and even then can only see the color on the very edge of the glass.

Where is this glass from?

They are shaped like some of the cobalt blue pieces that come from the light bulbs."

~ submitted by Kelly Thaden


Scroll down to see comments and info on old insulator glass...


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Comments for Dark Purple Beach Glass

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Sep 23, 2020
 Purple's on new Zealand beach
by: Greg Reeves

Have a good amount of purple pieces in three different colors.

Most enprisve pieces.
Jul 20, 2019
 Purple/black sea glass
by: Anonymous

July 2019

I have found a whole bunch of the deepest purple glass like you all have described....except that all mine is all flat glass, about 1/4" thick...big flat pieces ranging from 2"-3" ..
Maybe it was used to keep foods cool and fresh?

Not sure.. im in california
any info? My email stewpidazsole@gmail.com
Jan 01, 2015
 Laguna Beach, CA USA
by: Barb

Hi! My son just found a fantastic piece of deep purple sea glass today. It's heart shaped, about the size of a dime, and it's smooth on both sides. It's rather thin.

We've found one other teeny tiny purple piece before but this was the treasure we've been waiting for! What a way to start the new year :)

We were trying to figure out what the origin could be. We usually find green, brown, orange, yellow, even cobalt blue on a good day. Even red is more common.

Do you think it's from a light bulb, like mentioned below?

It's so dark you have to hold it up to the light to see the color. Similar to a purple/black grape.

Thanks!
May 30, 2014
 Purple sea glass
by: Selkie's Sea Glass

I have found a few pieces of very dark purple glass here on southern Vancouver Island.

Very similar to the small curved bits in the picture, it makes sense that they would be from insulators.

Thanks for posting!
Jan 23, 2014
 Dark purple glass at Conneaut.
by: Debbie

The dark purple at Conneaut,Ohio, comes from the retired General Electric plant.

Look at the base of a regular light bulb, near the screw-in area.

See that dark glass..Thats it. At the end of a shift, the cold glass was taken and dumped.



See more...

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Apr 22, 2013
 looking for the origin
by: robin

We found a cool piece that looks black until held to the light.

But it is fairly thick any ideas of the origin?

We live on the Puget Sound area.

-------------------

Hi Robin,

To get some comments and ideas on what you have found, you'll need to take a good photo, describe the size and where you found it, and then upload the photo and information to:

Sea Glass Identification

David at OdysseySeaGlass.com
Feb 04, 2013
 Purple Glass
by: Anonymous

Purple is my favorite to collect.

I have found the one used as an insulator but I also find these pieces of dark purple with a bumpy side.

I'm trying to figure out what it comes from.

I also find this type of glass in colors like lime green, orange, cobalt blue.

I think that's it, but they all have one bumpy side and one smooth side.

Any guess on what makes this sea glass?
Oct 17, 2012
 purple glass in Ohio
by: Anonymous

Tons of the insulator glass in Lake Erie Ohio beaches especially Astabula and Conneaut Beaches...



From OdysseySeaGlass...

Exciting Insulator Glass: 


Exciting Sea Glass Colors
Dark Purple?
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Carbon Insulators


Exciting Sea Glass Colors
Lake Erie
Exciting Sea Glass Colors
Purple Insulator?


Oct 16, 2012
 PEI purple sea glass
by: ChrisW

Our family just found our first piece of purple. Nice to know its origins.

We also frequent a beach not far from Montague PEI Canada.

Can't tell you where....big secret! This end of PEI is great picking.

OK OK its just south of Souris but that's all I am saying.

Still in search of that elusive orange!!
Aug 08, 2010
 purple sea glass
by: Mikayla Gill

I live in Montague PEI. I am 10 years old.

When I first started to collect beach glass, I went down to the lower Montague wharf.

I saw something that looked to be purple - I thought it was a shell like the blue shells.

But I picked it up anyway. Then I picked up the top the rest was still in the sand.

When I dug the rest of it from the sand and saw the rest of it I SCREAMED.

My first piece of purple. Now I need to find a piece of orange and yellow.
Dec 28, 2009
 Dark Purple Insulator
by: Sarah Jane

According to the Pure Sea Glass Identification Deck, what you have is "black-amethyst glass, which appears black until a bright light is used to illuminate its deep purple hue.

It was used for insulators on the bottoms of early light bulbs..."

That would make it about 100 years old.

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