Cambridge Rainbow - Light Emerald
by Lynn Welker
Issue 36 - April 1976
Happy Saint Patrick's Day. Although it's late, I'm offering you a little bit of Ireland - Emerald green - better known as Apple Green. The factory name is listed in an old price list as Emerald, however many factory workers called it Apple Green. To avoid confusion with the very early children's dishes) and late dark Emeralds, I will refer to it simply, as Light Emerald.
Light Emerald was introduced in 1923. It was a popular color and a
good seller for Cambridge, with production being maintained well into
the late 1930's when darker colors became more popular with the glass
trade.
The long production period makes it fairly easy to find. Many people refer to it as Depression Glass, but I prefer to call it glassware of the Depression Era as it is better quality glass than those pieces commonly called Depression Glass. It is an extremely similar color to those pieces of Depression Glass in pale green.
Light Emerald is a brilliant, pale, yellow-green colored glass. It is highly reactive and glows a brilliant vaseline color when held under a black light. It was produced in a huge variety of shapes and patterns. I will separate my discussion into three segments: patterned pieces produced in full size table settings; pieces produced in a few items of a pattern or figural shape; and pieces produced in plain occasional shapes.
The majority of Light Emerald was made in luncheon and complete
table settings. 
The Round and Decagon patterns were their two main
lines. Stemware and accessory pieces in Light Emerald rounded out those
sets.
The etchings most often seen on Round and Decagon lines are: Cleo, Wedgewood, Adams, Dresden, Majestic (picture at right), Lorna, Martha, Apple Blossom, Tu1ip, Chrysanthemum, Betty, Imperial Hunt Scene, Golf Scene and Willow.
Light Emerald Decagon and Round items can be collected with gold trims, etched patterns, gold encrusted etchings and some pieces can be found with copper wheel engravings. The other table patterns to be found in Light Emerald are the Weatherford and 3400 Line.
Light Emerald was also made in a few occasional pieces of patterns,
as well as a wide variety of figural pieces such as the one shown at the
beginning of this article. Vases, bowls and
candlesticks were made to a limited extent in the Stratford (early Mt.
Vernon with the large diamonds), Everglades and Martha Washington
patterns. Nearcut Inverted Strawberry was produced in a very few
limited pieces of Light Emerald and are considered very rare.
Literally
all of the early figural pieces were available in Light Emerald
including all sizes of the early, signed swans, figural flower frogs,
dolphin candlesticks (with the round, Stratford base) Ram's Head bowl
and matching Doric candlesticks, Hunt Scene ashtray and cigarette urn,
cigarette box with the Pointer Dog decoration, both sizes of the rabbit
box, both sizes of the cat and dog bottles, the Buddha figure and the
miniature frog and butterfly figures.
There are many occasional pieces of Light Emerald which were not part of a specific pattern or line. The table pieces include: pitcher, tumbler,coaster, decanter, wine & cocktail sets, cocktail shaker, ice bucket, salt & pepper, cruet, relishes, bowls, candlesticks and baskets. There are also smoker items: ashtrays, cigarette boxes and humidors. Desk sets that included ink well, pen holder and envelope holder. Boudoir articles such as perfume bottles, atomizers, powder boxes and bathroom bottles with word etchings such as Toilet Water, Cotton, etc. (picture above right)
An exception to the rule was the use of Light Emerald combined with Crystal or Peach-Blo. Stemware with Light Emerald bowl and Peach-Blo or Crystal foot has been seen. A few pieces of stemware were produced with Crystal bowl and Light Emerald foot. There are also Light Emerald covered candy dishes with a Peach-Blo rose finial.
Hope your collecting days are happy and green - Light Emerald Green !