I wasn’t expecting to discover a piece of the past that day. I was, let me be honest, killing time at this Goodwill, sifting through the usual graveyard of soiled mugs, dead mystery cables and the lonely rollerblade that lost its sole mate. You know the scene. But then I saw it — this tall, delicate glass thing with a gold spiral wrapped around its belly. It seems it would be akin to the delicate, blown glass oil lamps of yore.

At first I thought it was a strange champagne flute. You know, one of those “artsy” ones you never really drink from (but keep around to impress those guests you don’t like.) But the top was barely open. You know, a jellybean might be able to squeeze through.” I was standing there holding it, puzzled, when it occurred to me:

It was an oil glass diesels oil lamp. Or part of one — the base of one, lacking both the wick and the little holder part up top. Still, I was kind of in awe.

Back When Light Was More Than Just Flipping a Switch
Blown-glass oil lamps aren’t just pretty, they’re functional art, and they plunge you right into the “good old days” mood. I mean can you imagine illuminating your home with glass quite this fragile and beautiful? No LEDs. No dimmer switches. Nothing but a little flame, wobbling in a hand-blown piece of glass that I imagine was made by someone who gave a damn about what they made. This thing I found? It was gold, with a spiral pattern wrapped around it like a candy cane with class. The glass was ever so slightly uneven, in that cute way that says this wasn’t made by a machine. It seemed like something that belonged in a cozy cabin with creaky floors and a stack of old books, not beside a chipped snow globe and plastic Halloween mug. Admittedly, those blown glass oil lamps have a special charm.

What Makes Blown Glass Oil Lamps So Cool
Fine, so let’s geek out for a minute. Hand blown glass oil lamps were all the rage before electricity came around, and frankly never went out of style. Many were crafted with an eye for beauty — curved glass, swirls of color, sometimes elaborate patterns melted into the glass itself. And being handmade and all, they were all a bit different.

Some of them were even created as “whimsies” — that is, glassblowers taking it easy at the end of a long day, creating whatever struck their fancy from a pile of leftover pieces of glass. Which kind of makes each cool lamp even cooler, right? It’s like having a snapshot of someone’s creativity in your hand. That’s the appeal of blown glass oil lamps.

However, and there’s a a possibility that this is just me, I like the idea of things that serve a purpose and look good doing it.

 

The Missing Wick Mystery
Mine was missing both the wick and the insert, which I later discovered is fairly typical. Those small pieces disappear with time. To be totally honest, if I hadn’t already known what it was, I’d likely have thrown it into a drawer and just assumed that it was some kind of weird vase for a single spaghetti noodle.

But now that I know? I’m looking for something to replace it. So, turns out you can buy wick holders online if you know the size. At worst, I’ll just jury-rig something myself. It will not make its way into museums, but it will make do. This search has made me love my blown glass oil lamps even more.

And I will tell you this: I will light it once. Just to get an idea of what sort of glow it emits. Just to sit in that soft light and fantasize, for a moment, that I’m living in a slower, more peaceful era.

Why You Should Snag One If You See It
Look, I get it. Vintage glass isn’t everyone’s thing. Not everyone enjoys clean lines and smart bulbs responsive to their voice. But blown glass oil lamps? They’re little time machines. You take one in your hand, and suddenly you are holding not just glass but a moment. Maybe it’s that one old movie where they carried a lamp down a creaky hallway, or the memory of your grandparents’ house. Or maybe it’s just the note that light has been something you cultivated, not just something you flipped on.

 

So the next time you’re perusing the aisles of a thrift store, and you spy something that looks like a champagne flute forged by a wizard, get it. Take it home. Clean it up. Maybe you’ll cast a warm little glow from the past into your modern space with one of these blown glass oil lamps.