To a bottle collector, iridescence is a kind of damage. In the world of art glass, especially Tiffany’s, it’s an extremely desirable decoration.
In the late 19th century, interior decorator Louis Comfort Tiffany was in search of new colors to use in his leaded glass windows. He hired glassmaker Arthur J. Nash to make iridescent glass. The company was producing iridescent vases and accessories by 1894. It is said that Tiffany was inspired by glass he saw in Europe; possibly ancient glass from 19th-century archaeological digs.
