In the antiques world, more modern paint glows under a light, and one can also see touch-ups, repairs and cracks in structure. Museums use black lights to inspect very old antiquity for master works and their concepts and repaints. One can easily determine repairs jobs, as modern glue and chemicals glow under a black light, as well as later additions of embellishment to a piece, cracks and seams.Ī darkened room is best to evaluate procelain, as some repairs are very small and might be hard to see in well-lit conditions.Įvaluating paintings is one of the trickiest and complicated forms of UV inspection.ĭealers and collectors are using a black light on paintings to determine age, repairs, repaints, touch-ups, fakes or forgeries, and signatures. Hard paste porcelain will fluoresce a deep blue, while soft past procelain will fluoresce white. Porcelain can be investigated using a black light. One of the most shocking and magnificent reactions to UV light can be found in Uranium glass due to the oxide/uranium content in the glass-it glows a brilliant green yellow, and some cabinets are made specifically to use black lights to illuminate, showing off a “glowing” collection.įabrics are a good thing to test under a black light.įibers like polyester and rayon, which are modern fibers made after World War II, will fluoresce under a UV light, showing the age of the piece.Ĭollectors should use caution when using modern laundry detergents, as they will cause fabrics to glow due to the chemical content in the washing liquids.įabric research is more investigation of modern fibers and materials rather than determining the older materials and their presence. Glass to investigate would be Depression glass, American pressed glass, brilliant cut glass and any older piece. Oxides in older glass will fluoresce under different conditions, usually glowing yellow.
Glassware is a great antique to investigate under a blacklight because glass like Vaseline glass will glow under a UV light due to the uranium oxide content in the glass.
It is best to investigate your item in a dimly lit or completely black room, so as not to compete with the light waves from the outside world. This will be your clue that a repair or other things have been done to the item. Sometimes the energy makes glow, and other times they appear black, depending upon whether they are absorbing energy or reflecting it.Ī good rule of thumb to investigate is whether or not areas look different in appearance-as if something has been changed from the original structure. Materials in the antiques you are examining react in different ways when hit with the waves. Wavelengths of light can all be seeing using modern tools in the antique world.īlack lights fluoresce using light wave lengths, or energy if you will. One can tell age, repairs jobs, authenticity and fakes using this technique.
Materials fluoresce under UV lighting, producing light that the human eye cannot see, making the unseen seen.
Ultraviolet light, or UV, also known as “black lights” are used to evaluate the hidden world of antiques. Glassware is a great antique to investigate under a blacklight because glass, such as the Vaseline glass shown above, will glow under an ultraviolet light because of the uranium oxide content in the glass.
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