Burmese glass: Tips on identifying.

After 20 years of collecting burmese glass, and sometimes making mistakes, I'd like to share a few simple tips that can help fellow collectors.


1. All victorian burmese glass, made by Mt Washington or Thomas Webb, has a finished pontil. In other words, the pontil mark no longer exists. Any burmese glass that has a rough or ground down pontil mark is not from Mt Washington or from Webb.

Above: Decorated Webb Burmese

2. Fenton burmese is always marked, although the mark may be hard to see on some pieces. Fenton burmese does not have a pontil mark, but is finished.

3. Italian burmese has a rough or ground pontil. The color is either a dull pink to dull yellow, or a rich pink to very pale yellow. Ribbed handles are gemon. Italian burmese often has applied burmese decoration such as fruits or flowers. Some gemon Italian burmese items are large pitchers with ribbed handles and ruffled tops, a round butter dish with a small curved and ribbed handle on the top, and a toothpick with a scalloped top. There are numerous other pieces.

4. Gunderson and Pairpoint burmese has a rich opaque pink to yellow color similiar to Victorian and Fenton Burmese. Pairpoint burmese usually has a rough pontil and some pieces have a small blob of dark pink glass on the pontil.
5. Let color be your guide in helping you identify burmese. Mt Washington, Webb, Pairpoint, Gunderson, and Fenton have rich opaque colors. Italian burmese has a very pale yellow to almost white color.

Above: Pairpoint burmese.