Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Unsilvered Shiny Brites

These WWII era Shiny Brites are not flashy and shiny because silver nitrate was used in the war effort so ornaments were left plain or sprayed with a transparent color and trimmed in mica or colored glitter.   As far as I know these ornaments were never reproduced in later years.   Often the ornaments had paper tops instead of metal…metal was also used in the war effort.  They may have had their original paper tops and strings replaced sometime in their travels from tree to tree.
Clear round
This clear striped ornament has been painted with a transparent paint and decorated with mica…sometimes  called sugar mica.
From Chance (2) Lantern
Chance gave me this clear lantern shaped ornament that is trimmed in colored glitter.
Tornado shape
This tornado shaped clear ornament has a heavy coat of mica. 
They are other shapes also…bells, I have a few, and what are called UFO’s…think the opposite shape of the tornado. The striped round ornaments can be small two inch size or three to four inch sizes. There may be other shapes and sizes also.  I am not an expert…I can only talk about the ornaments I own or have seen. 

So not all Shiny Brites are shiny after all.  These ornaments are the easiest to date.  Since they are not as flashy many people just pass over them but they are sought after ornaments by Shiny Brite hoarders collectors. They were only produced for three or four years.

I think they are beautiful in their simplicity, especially so since they were purchased by someone during the war years, what stories they could tell.

The Christmas Cards have been mailed, the shopping has been completed, most of the decorating has been done, neighbor JoLynn made cookies and brought us a tray full…so we can have cookies and coffee.  Menus are still in the planning stage but our brunch will be simple…juice, fruit, Far Guy’s famous cinnamon rolls and something eggy.

Far Guy is feeling a bit better.  Sadly he has shared with me, but with cold tablets and Aleve I almost feel like a real person.
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32 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved reading about these ornaments. I'm sorry you now are sick and I hope you both will improve by Christmas.
God bless you and your family.

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

Love the look of those ornaments - they remind me of some we had when I was a child. I wonder what happened to them? You sound very organised - chaos here - but wishing you a speedy recovery from the lurghi, a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year!

Country Gal said...

Lovely not so Shiny Brites and the history of them was interesting . Oh I do hope both you and Far Guy feel better really soon wish our husbands didn't have to share everything with us eh ? lol ! Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas .

DJan said...

I love these muted and still beautiful Shiny Brites. And I am so glad to know you and FG are truly on the far side of your illness. You've been busy, even while sick! :-)

linda m said...

What an interesting story about those ornaments. I so vividly remember them as my mother and grandmothers all had them hanging on their trees. Glad to hear Far Guy is feeling better. Hope you feel better soon. Wishing you and Far Guy a very Merry Christmas.

Lynda said...

I am impressed you have accomplished so much while being sick! I have not been sick - - - just too busy since babysitting grandchildren so have not done stuff I used to do during the holidays. I am enjoying the season though! Hope you both recover rapidly!

Still the Lucky Few said...

Looking at these ornaments is causing a flood of memories. I still have 15 of them with the tin tops. They are fragile and very precious. I think mine were purchased in the 1960s. Thanks for your lovely post!

Pauline Persing said...

Interesting history about the Shiny Brites. Hope you and Far Guy are both feeling better by Christmas. Tom and I have some throat scratchy ailment.

Linda said...

I'm now actively searching for Shiny Brites every time I go to a second hand store and have kicked myself for giving away the ones I had.

Shirley said...

Like Linda said! I too look for Shiny Brites, so thanks for all the history. I'm sure my mom and dad had some on their tree when I was little but we lost everything in a house fire in 1969.
Love the new header.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad that Far guy is feeling a little better and sorry that now YOU have got whatever it is he passed on to you. Here's hoping you both start feeling much better soon.

I never heard of Shiny Brites before you wrote about them. We probably had some but they are long gone.

Shirley H.

Tired Teacher said...

I haven't seen any Shiny Brights like these - interesting story behind them.

Mac n' Janet said...

Interesting, is mica dangerous? Glad Far Guy is feeling better, hope you will be soon.

Henny Penny said...

You know so much about those old Shiny Brites. It is a shame that most families don't hold on to things like those ornaments. I'm sure we had them when I was a little girl. Hope you and Far Guy will be well for Christmas.

Red said...

I'm not a collector of anything but I'm always amazed at first the research done and then the information that can be found. so I find your shiny bright collection very interesting.

Anonymous said...

Chance has good taste in ornaments. I have a mica one similar to yours, but all blue. It's the on,y mica one I have. It's fun to read about these ornaments! Sorry to hear that you got what FG had. Sending good, healthy wishes your way.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Mica is ground rock so I think it is natural:)

Terry and Linda said...

I'm finding this history about the Shiny Brights very interesting. I hope you get better FAST!!!

Linda

Rita said...

I didn't know anything about shiny brites until I met you. Now I know a little and more than probably anyone else I know. ;) Love it!

Sorry to hear you have the cold now, too. I sure hope you both feel halfways decent on Christmas!!

Primitive Stars said...

Hi Connie, I have never seen these kind of Shiny Brites before, they look neat. Hope you you both feel better, .Blessings Francine.

MTWaggin said...

Who knew?! That is so interesting about the ornaments and I'd not have pegged those as "Shiny Brights"

Patsy said...

Very interesting! Things are looking up now that you and Far Guy are getting better.

Linda W. said...

I love your ornaments and the history behind them.

Cynthia said...

I have a few of the round striped ones but hadn't seen the elongated shapes. Those are in such perfect condition for seeing about 70 Christmases! Heading for Minnesota in the morning. Can't wait!

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

I think the majority of my parents' Shiny Brites must have been from the War Years. Thank you for sharing your knowledge of these beloved ornaments.

Linda Reeder said...

I really like old things. I think your Shiny Brite collection is wonderful!

Granny Marigold said...

Cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast/brunch sounds like a great idea. I'll get right on it. Meanwhile, I hope you feel better soon.

Diane C said...

When I see your shiny brite ornaments it makes me long for the home I grew up in and all those neat ornaments that used to hang from our tree. Unfortunately some years ago, when my parents moved into an assisted living apartment, they had a big auction and just about everything was sold....including all their Christmas ornaments. Oh, how I wish I had those ornaments now. I wasn't even around to bid on them. Sometimes I see a picture of an ornament that used to look like one that hung from our family Christmas tree, and it brings a tear to my eyes. Oh well. Merry Christmas to you and Far Guy. Hope you're both feeling better by then!

Jacqi Stevens said...

Ah, the famous cinnamon rolls! My guy has some of those, too. Great way to break into the Christmas festivities!

Glad to hear Far Guy is feeling a bit better. Hope you do soon, too!

Karen said...

I too have been Shiny Brite educated over the years. I would think that the mica SBs would be very collectable, as they were only made for a few years. I wish I still had the old ornaments that were on the tree when I was a kid. I can only remember one or two of them. Hopefully we are making new memories with the ornaments on our tree.

Karen said...

PS Glad to hear FG is better and that you are handling the sickness ok.

Sam I Am...... said...

I've seen those ornaments but never appreciated them for the history they told. Thank you for enlightening me I just wish I had some still. I'm sure I did at one time. I'll keep my eyes out now for sure! I got the presents out last week and then I stopped. I've done cleaning and grocery shopping as it is supposed to be stormy throughout the holidays. Glad you're both on the mend now!