# Amethyst  Purple Keystone.



## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 8, 2020)

Rare amethyst purple one pint mason jar. Anybody know the year on this one? Thanks.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Timelypicken (Jun 8, 2020)

I’m guessing 1920-30’s


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## planeguy2 (Jun 8, 2020)

Love how it says "tight" on the lip.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 8, 2020)

planeguy2 said:


> Love how it says "tight" on the lip.


Loose lips sink ships was what I was taught. Lol! It says tight on both sides buddy. Thank you for your kind comments.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## CanadianBottles (Jun 8, 2020)

That's a nice one!  I was always told that they stopped using manganese in the glass around the first world war, so I'm guessing this one dates to the first half of the 1910s since it doesn't look much older than that.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 8, 2020)

CanadianBottles said:


> That's a nice one!  I was always told that they stopped using manganese in the glass around the first world war, so I'm guessing this one dates to the first half of the 1910s since it doesn't look much older than that.


The glass is purple. Not irradiated. From what I was told.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## coreya (Jun 9, 2020)

According to the "Fruit Jar Works" made between 1910 and 1913 by the Elk Flint Bottle Co. of Shingle House PA. and has a Red Book # of 1391 valued between 10-12 . That one must have set in someones sunny window for a long time to turn that color, glass was originally clear.


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## Dogo (Jun 9, 2020)

Nice find!!!


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 9, 2020)

coreya said:


> According to the "Fruit Jar Works" made between 1910 and 1913 by the Elk Flint Bottle Co. of Shingle House PA. and has a Red Book # of 1391 valued between 10-12 . That one must have set in someones sunny window for a long time to turn that color, glass was originally clear.


 so they did not make these in amethyst at all? This was what I was told. That is why i am asking.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## coreya (Jun 10, 2020)

only were made in clear. any color change will be due to outside influence


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## Dogo (Jun 10, 2020)

Naturally sun turned bottles are usually uneven in coloration as the sun hit one side more than the other.  That one may have been done in a light box.  That used to be a common practice.


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## jarsnstuff (Jun 10, 2020)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> so they did not make these in amethyst at all? This was what I was told. That is why i am asking.



The natural color of glass is aqua.  Any other color is due to impurities in the glass or other added elements to turn the color intentionally.  Before about 1900, manganese was used as a "clarifier" - or an additive that made the glass clear.  It was then discovered that when clear glass was exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time, it would turn amethyst.  Not so desirable for windows but not that big a deal for other items.  Just how purple old glass will turn depends largely upon how much manganese was used.  After about 1900, glassmakers started using selenium as the clarifier, which gives the glass a pinkish or yellowish cast.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 10, 2020)

I hate when I get misled.





jarsnstuff said:


> The natural color of glass is aqua.  Any other color is due to impurities in the glass or other added elements to turn the color intentionally.  Before about 1900, manganese was used as a "clarifier" - or an additive that made the glass clear.  It was then discovered that when clear glass was exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time, it would turn amethyst.  Not so desirable for windows but not that big a deal for other items.  Just how purple old glass will turn depends largely upon how much manganese was used.  After about 1900, glassmakers started using selenium as the clarifier, which gives the glass a pinkish or yellowish cast.


I know that and I thank you for the refresher but I was under the impression or misled to believe that they made amethyst purple ones. So this one was at some point in time irradiated.  I have a couple of clear glass bottles that are turning purple due to being in the sun. These I found on the surface are turning but not near as dark amethyst as this jar. I am thinking that this one is unnaturally done. One question, did they ever make amethyst purple mason jars that are not reproductions? I really appreciate your knowledge mainly because of my lack of expertise pertaining to jars. Thanks everyone for setting the (my) record straight.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Timelypicken (Jun 10, 2020)

They made purple mason jars that aren’t repo


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 10, 2020)

Timelypicken said:


> They made purple mason jars that aren’t repo


You know this for sure buddy? I only ask because I don't know about mason jars. Oh well.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Timelypicken (Jun 10, 2020)

Here is one https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-PU...010129?hash=item36644d2051:g:apwAAOSwA1Ve2xw8


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 10, 2020)

Timelypicken said:


> Here is one https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-PU...010129?hash=item36644d2051:g:apwAAOSwA1Ve2xw8


How do you know it has not been irradiated? My jar said the same thing in the add. Just not the irradiated part.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Timelypicken (Jun 10, 2020)

I’ve seen so many dark purples I just say they were made that way, but they could all be fake. Who knows


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 10, 2020)

Timelypicken said:


> I’ve seen so many dark purples I just say they were made that way, but they could all be fake. Who knows


That is why I am asking the experts. Thanks for your opinion. I appreciate it.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## coreya (Jun 11, 2020)

There are no natural made purple canning jars other than the modern and those sun, light box or irradiated ones that I know of. the drey is irratiated in my opinion


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## luh_key_gurl2 (Jun 11, 2020)

Wow


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 11, 2020)

coreya said:


> There are no natural made purple canning jars other than the modern and those sun, light box or irradiated ones that I know of. the drey is irratiated in my opinion


Finally an answer that comes from a knowledgable jar collector. I see crazy colored reproductions. I hate reproductions and I hate irradiated bottles. I wish I had known before. Oh well live and learn. Now i have learned from my mistake. Thank-you so much for clarifying Corey's.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## jarsnstuff (Jun 11, 2020)

coreya is correct - no canning jars were made in amethyst.  They were clear when manufactured and turned amethyst when exposed to the sun for a long period of time OR turned a darker purple when irradiated.  That doesn't make a jar fake!   It's an old jar that has been modified by an artificial process.  The Trademark Keystone is a clear jar that was turned amethyst by the sun.  The Drey jar in question has been irradiated (imo)
,   I don't care that the seller says its "not modified" - it is.  I have one irradiated jar in my collection, simply to have one.  I did not however, pay more for it than I would have a clear jar.


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## coreya (Jun 11, 2020)

If you heat up an irradiated or altered jar in the oven for several hours it will revert to clear or its natural color, *never *pay for the hype of an artificially colored jar they are worth what a regular like jar is. Be very careful if you do the oven method as jars have been known to shatter.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 11, 2020)

coreya said:


> If you heat up an irradiated or altered jar in the oven for several hours it will revert to clear or its natural color, *never *pay for the hype of an artificially colored jar they are worth what a regular like jar is. Be very careful if you do the oven method as jars have been known to shatter.


I have heard that oven trick but never had the guts to do it. I have heard of some jars being worth more clear because of so many being irradiated. I forget where I heard this and which jar they were referring to. If you can reverse the irradiated effect in the oven, I think it may have just been another untrue statement I picked up somewhere. I don't want to spread any rumors.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 14, 2020)

Dogo said:


> Naturally sun turned bottles are usually uneven in coloration as the sun hit one side more than the other.  That one may have been done in a light box.  That used to be a common practice.


Bottles are not perfect one side could be reasonably thicker than another side causing the effect that it is only half purple. I find purple glass shards on the surface where I go by the river. It seems to me the thicker the glass the more purple it looks.  I always thought of a glass bottle as being fiber optic in nature. Sun hits one spot and transfers through out the bottle. Can a bottle being half buried with dirt half filling the inside causing purple irradiation on one side only?  I have not found one like this yet. I just wonder that's all.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 14, 2020)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> Finally an answer that comes from a knowledgable jar collector. I see crazy colored reproductions. I hate reproductions and I hate irradiated bottles. I wish I had known before. Oh well live and learn. Now i have learned from my mistake. Thank-you so much for clarifying Corey's.
> ROBBYBOBBY64.


My spell check is such a pain. I meant Coreya.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Huntindog (Jun 17, 2020)

I've found bottles on Scuba in O visibility at 40 feet deep and no light that were as purple as your jar.
So I would say that UV light will effect the entire bottle whether half buried or not. 
Great looking jar though...


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 17, 2020)

Huntindog said:


> I've found bottles on Scuba in O visibility at 40 feet deep and no light that were as purple as your jar.
> So I would say that UV light will effect the entire bottle whether half buried or not.
> Great looking jar though...


I always wanted to dive for bottles like you and a couple of others on this site.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## woods_walker (Jun 17, 2020)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> I always wanted to dive for bottles like you and a couple of others on this site.
> ROBBYBOBBY64.



Me to! I love water until it’s over my head then I don’t like it to much lol. I guess it’s the unknown or not being able to see what’s down there that freaks me out a little bit. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Jun 17, 2020)

woods_walker said:


> Me to! I love water until it’s over my head then I don’t like it to much lol. I guess it’s the unknown or not being able to see what’s down there that freaks me out a little bit.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I took to it like a fish to water. I got certified, and loved every minute. I just do not own my own gear. Big part right. I have my boat license in New York and New Jersey but have no boat. Total land lubber. A boy can still dream. Who know maybe one day.
ROBBYBOBBY64.


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## Bohdan (Jun 18, 2020)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> The glass is purple. Not irradiated. From what I was told.
> ROBBYBOBBY64.



Looks irradiated to me.  Something not quite right about the colour.


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## Kheidecker (Jun 19, 2020)

Any unusual colored jar catches my EYE. I think the amethyst SUN colored Jar's are very beautiful. Here's a couple colored jars I have jarsandstuff can Probably tell me more about this ball perfect Mason. treated right?. I had to experiment so here's a couple jars I left out on carport for 6 months a dry and economy. They were very lightly Sun treated when I put them up there but they've turned quite a bit in 6 months


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## jarsnstuff (Jun 24, 2020)

Yes, your Ball jar has been irradiated.  When Selenium was used as the clarifier, the jars have a yellowish or peachy tint naturally.  When nuked, they turn that icky brown color.


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## jarhead67 (Jun 29, 2020)

Normally I stay away from them, but I purchased a heavily irradiated half gallon mineral water for the shop window. I knew it was irradiated, the seller was up front, and I liked the DEEP purple in it, could barely see through it. After less than a year in the window, the purple color lightened by half. Not sure if time does that or some other environmental factor, but those deep purple items you see, will in my experience, fade back and settle into a lighter, almost natural SCA.

I still love the bottle, and it looks more natural now. I used to dig in Salt Lake and we would put all our clear bottles up on the carport roof to sun. Left them out for just over a year and some colored nicely, some barely and some not at all. Irradiating a bottle to speed up time to get to that light, natural look is what I think most people who buy or sell them are after. These deep purple glass items have become popular over the past few years and there is also market for them for non-collectors who just want a purple jar for a vase or window decor.

If you like color, go for it.


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## jarsnstuff (Jun 30, 2020)

I'm pretty sure that exposure to sunlight in your shop window is what caused your mineral water to lighten.


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## Kheidecker (Sep 28, 2020)

I have a ground lip amethyst hero pre-1900s jar with some light amber swirling by neck.ive seen 100s of them glass hunting.every one aqua.so mine was once clear...never seen a pre 1900 clear jar..I clear pre 1900 jar would be rare right?????why where most pre-1900s one aqua???


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## martyfoley (Sep 28, 2020)

Tight is so right, gonna fight, its outta sight sorry I got carried away........


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## coreya (Sep 29, 2020)

"have a ground lip amethyst hero pre-1900s jar with some light amber swirling by neck.ive seen 100s of them glass hunting.every one aqua.so mine was once clear...never seen a pre 1900 clear jar..I clear pre 1900 jar would be rare right?????why where most pre-1900s one aqua??? "

A picture of the hero would be great, The color of the glass is determined by the chemical composition of the sand (silica) To make a clear glass the manufacture must add chemicals to counter whats naturally in the sand and that can add to the cost of glass making. An example of this is the Ball jars of the pre 1937's which were all "ball blue" as that was the color that was produced from the sand of the "Hoosier Slide" which ran out in 1937 or so. There were other colors made either by mistake or to use up a batch of available glass or special order.
A good site for color info, jar colors hoosier jar


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## BF109 (Sep 29, 2020)

Super jar!  I like it


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## jarsnstuff (Sep 30, 2020)

Kheidecker said:


> I have a ground lip amethyst hero pre-1900s jar with some light amber swirling by neck.ive seen 100s of them glass hunting.every one aqua.so mine was once clear...never seen a pre 1900 clear jar..I clear pre 1900 jar would be rare right?????why where most pre-1900s one aqua???


Generally, the sand used to make glass results in an aqua color.  When manganese was added to the batch, it resulted in clear glass.  Therefore, clear glass is more expensive to make and utilitarian objects such as fruit jars weren't worth the extra effort.  There are however, some jars that were made in clear glass, whether they were sold at a premium because of it, or whether the blowers made a few fruit jars after completing whatever items they were making for the day - I have no idea.  Of course, the items that were originally clear eventually turned amethyst with time and exposure to sunlight.


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