Q: Can you tell me anything about ‘Ferroline’ black glass?
A: Ferroline is an opaque black glass patented in 1881 by Enrico Rosenzi and Benjamin Lupton, founder of the West Side Glass Co. of Bridgeton, N.J. The name Ferroline is a combination of the Latin word ‘ferrum’ (iron) and ‘opaline.’ The glass was advertised as indestructible and was used for tiles, tabletops, lamp feet, vases, plates, bowls, cups and saucers and other items. At least three different Ferroline plates were made by the West Side Glass Co., one with a rose center and ivy wreath border, one with a bird in nest and ivy border and one with no decoration. The factory burned down in 1885 and another company took over the production of Ferroline, but the glass did not sell well and the company stopped producing it a year later. Ferroline is rarely found today.