Busacca Gallery

Here is something distinctive and different; a shot glass cup made from clear crystal glass with an unusual design with Sterling Silver overlay. This rare-form of glass combined with the exceptional and unusual style of the silver overlay makes a unique and stunning object. The silver overlay is of an extremely heavy guage and is very beautifully spaced.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilding

SILVER OVERLAY GLASS Silver has been used to decorate bronze, copper, and earthenware for ages. Silver on glass, however, started to come into its own a little over a century ago. In 1889 Oscar Pierre Erard of Birmingham, England, developed an effective method of electroplating silver on glass and porcelain. Although beautiful on the outside, it shared an important shorcoming with its predecessors. The reverse side of the silver design, the side next to the glass would tarnish and turn dark. In clear plates, bowls, dishes and glasses this unsightly result was hardly condusive to a hearty appetite. In 1893, an American from New Jersey by the name of John H. Scharling patented a method no less simple or beautiful than Erard's creation, but with a distinct advantage. The reverse side of the design was snow white and it stayed that way indefinitely. Like Erard's method, Sharling's designs utilized electroplating. He shared his new process with all, both domestic and European. By 1895, the Czechs, Italians, French, English and Austrians were producing exciting glassware with sterling deposit and overlay.