Sterling Overlay on Cracked Glass

Hi
Just wondering what people do with their sterling overlay or how to remove the glass when a piece is damaged like this vase. The sterling seems too nice to toss out with the glass. Is there an easy way to remove the glass? Or is it possible for a glass blower to reuse the cage? Thanks for your help!

 

If you know a handy jeweler or silversmith, they could probably cut the silver away, remove the glass, and then solder the silver back together.

Or you could just very carefully smash and break the glass and tip it out of the silver and find a glass-blower who could refill it, so to speak, with new glass...?

 

The latter would probably be easier. Not sure how they managed it the first time.

 

I've got cracked silver overlay,had it for 35 years-can't let it go.It might not be worth much,but it's just too beautiful to go.

 

just sell it "as is" and let it become someone elses issue to deal with...

 

You don't show any marks (guessing it's by Alvin), but this piece is late 19th-early 20th century silver deposit (now typically referred to as 'silver overlay), the .999 silver was applied directly to the glass by electrodeposition, essentially very heavy silverplating. It does peel off sometimes, as with the missing chunk from your vase, but attempting to remove the glass with the silver intact would be pretty much impossible, as would be blowing a new vase into a thin fine silver cage...

~Cheryl

 

If you did get the glass out, it would make a nice dried or silk flower vase.

 

Totally agree. Was not able to state all of this so succinctly, thanks Cheryl.

If it were mine, I would smack out the glass and find the melt value first.
@Verrefou

 

Thank you all for your input! I am going to make my best attempt to loosen the glass myself at first.....with lots of gloves and goggles!

 

Eh, it's your piece - personally, if mine, would consider it a 'shelf piece' and put it high up with the damage to the back or to the side. There's little weight to the silver, and can't really see the use for a flimsy silver shell even if all the glass shards can be pulled away...

~Cheryl

 

Be nice for dried flowers.

 

Click on full size so your pictures show up in the post.