Piano Insulator Segment

Predominately made during the late 19th Century by English and South American glass houses these insulators were in common use until the middle of the 20th Century. Some of the companies that manufactured these insulators were well established glass houses like Percival Yates & Vickers, Sowerby Glass and UK Davidson. All include a maker's marks indicating their origins. Other insulators might not include such marks but might have embossed on the bottom the names of music businesses such as "Breyer House, Buenos Aires" and could be purchased cheaply as a way of advertising.

This piano insulator is a great example of a sun-colored amethyst sea glass specimen (see sun-colored amethyst sea glass for more information on this) which was originally clear glass which dates it to around the late 19th to early 20th Century. Glass piano insulators were also manufactured in many other colors including amber, blue, and uranium yellow or green.

The images on the left demonstrate (with a little help from Photoshop) what the glass insulator would have looked like in its original, unbroken form. Imagine what a great sea glass find this would have been!

Before coming across this sea glass gem, glass piano insulators were an unknown glass article to this author but with some research and a little luck their story was eventually determined. This certainly exemplifies that sea glass collecting is not only a hobby of beachcombing but also may involve curiosity and archaeological sleuthing which can lead to some amazing stories in the history of glass.