Uranium in the Plates? Our Ancestors Dined Off Radioactive Tableware

The industrial revolution of the 19th century brought both certain economic stability for the middle class as well as the means to produce what had been luxury items on an affordable, mass scale.

More and more people were drawn to the acquisition of everyday items that were also works of art. One of the types of goods where this was especially true was tableware. China of the time was often heavily decorated with painted motifs and gold or silver rims.

Glasswork could be downright baroque. It was often carved, painted, or engraved and could be found in an ever-increasing array of colors.

Producers of glasswork could achieve remarkable results by adding metal salts or other compounds to the glass while it was in its molten state.

Interestingly enough, one of the compounds that started being used in the 1800s was uranium.

THEVINTAGENEWS.COM