geoff,

Red glass was being produced in several ancient cultures thousands of years before the Glashütte area was settled ... so much for the Glashuette claim (don't they also claim to have beat the Swiss to the invention of the pocket watch?) ... but see pp 477-8 here for an interesting discourse on the knowledge concerning the production of red-coloured glass in 1867:

http://books.google.com/books?id=sIMDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA477&dq=red+glass&as_brr=1

In fact, the whole section on "Glass" beginning on p 451, is quite illuminating:

http://books.google.com/books?id=sIMDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA451&vq=glass&dq=red+glass&as_brr=1#PPA451,M1

Bob
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"There is also an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents ... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government, and provisions should be made to prevent its ascendancy."

- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "geoff carver" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 1:36 PM
Subject: Re: Glass Insulators - Myth or Truth?


> not sure, but the small museum in glashuette, near baruth in brandenburg, 
> claimed that red glass was invented there...
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> 
> Subject: Re: Glass Insulators - Myth or Truth?
> 
> 
>>I once read that red glass was created by accident. A man dedicating his
>> glass factory tossed a gold coin in the first pot of glass and it came out 
>> red.