Steuben Aurene Vase

Aurene glass was developed by Frederick Carder, the English-born glassmaker who co-founded the Steuben Glass Works in Corning, New York, in 1903. Carder created Aurene as Steuben's signature iridescent glass and it became one of the company's most successful and widely collected lines.

Aurene glass was introduced by Steuben around 1904, shortly after the founding of the Steuben Glass Works in Corning. It was developed as a domestic American alternative to the iridescent art glass being produced by Tiffany Studios and European manufacturers like Loetz.

The Aurene iridescent finish is achieved by spraying metallic salts—typically tin chloride and iron chloride—onto the surface of the hot glass while it is being reheated in the furnace (a process called 'fuming'). The metallic compounds oxidize on the surface, producing a shimmering gold (Gold Aurene) or blue (Blue Aurene) sheen that shifts with the angle of light.

Both Steuben Aurene and Tiffany Favrile are iridescent art glasses produced in the early 1900s, but Tiffany's Favrile was typically made from hand-blown lead glass with a more variegated, lava-like iridescence, while Carder's Aurene tends toward a smoother, more uniform metallic sheen. Aurene was produced at a lower price point than Favrile and was sold in greater quantities, making it more accessible to middle-class American consumers.