The Ultimate Shiny Brite Ornament Guide: Vintage Christmas Ornaments, History, Styles & Decorating Ideas
The Ultimate Shiny Brite Ornament Guide: Vintage Christmas Ornaments, History, Styles & Decorating Ideas
There is something magical about opening a box of Shiny Brite ornaments at Christmastime. The brilliant colors, delicate glass, sparkling stripes, frosted details, and wonderfully nostalgic shapes instantly bring back the feeling of an old-fashioned Christmas.
Over the years, I’ve collected a large assortment of Shiny Brite ornaments, and they have become some of my favorite Christmas decorations. I love seeing all of the different colors and designs together, but I also think the individual ornaments deserve to be appreciated. Some are beautifully simple, while others have stripes, indents, glitter, painted details, and wonderfully unusual shapes.
If you love vintage Christmas decorations, colorful Christmas trees, or simply want to learn more about Shiny Brite ornaments, I put together this guide to share these beautiful ornaments up close and give you plenty of inspiration for displaying them in your own home.
What Are Shiny Brite Ornaments?
Shiny Brite is one of the most recognizable names associated with vintage-style glass Christmas ornaments in America.
The original Shiny Brite ornaments became enormously popular during the 20th century and are now closely associated with the colorful Christmas trees many of us remember from childhood, our parents’ homes, or our grandparents’ Christmas celebrations.
Classic Shiny Brite ornaments are known for their brilliant colors and reflective glass. Red, pink, blue, green, silver, gold, turquoise and other jewel-like shades look especially beautiful when surrounded by Christmas lights.
Part of their appeal is that they don’t all look exactly alike.
You can find simple round ornaments alongside striped designs, indented ornaments, unusual shapes and elaborate decorations. When dozens of different styles are mixed together on a tree, the result is colorful, collected and wonderfully nostalgic.
A Little Shiny Brite History
Shiny Brite ornaments have a fascinating place in American Christmas history.
The brand is closely associated with German-born businessman Max Eckardt, who worked to establish an American source for glass Christmas ornaments as concerns grew about relying on imported German ornaments in the years leading up to World War II.
Working with the Corning Glass Works, glass ornament production was brought to the United States on a much larger scale. Corning’s machinery made it possible to produce enormous quantities of glass ornament blanks, which could then be decorated and sold under brands including Shiny Brite.
The ornaments became incredibly popular in American homes.
Today, original vintage Shiny Brite ornaments are treasured by collectors, while newer Shiny Brite ornaments continue the colorful retro look that made the brand so recognizable.
That combination of history and nostalgia is one of the reasons I love collecting them.
Why Shiny Brite Ornaments Are So Special
I think part of the charm of Shiny Brite ornaments is that they feel joyful.
They aren’t necessarily quiet or perfectly coordinated. They’re colorful, shiny, reflective and sometimes wonderfully over-the-top.
A box filled with red, turquoise, pink, green, gold and silver ornaments somehow works beautifully together.
And once they’re hanging on a Christmas tree with hundreds of tiny lights reflecting against the glass, they’re spectacular.
They’re also incredibly fun to collect because there are so many different designs. You can start with a handful of ornaments and suddenly find yourself looking for another color, another shape or one particularly beautiful design you haven’t seen before.
Different Types of Shiny Brite Ornaments
One of my favorite things about collecting Shiny Brite ornaments is seeing all of the variations together.
Classic Round Ornaments
The traditional round glass ornament is probably the style most people immediately associate with Shiny Brite.
Don’t underestimate the simple ones.
When they’re grouped together on a Christmas tree, all of those shiny colors create an incredible amount of depth and reflection. They’re also perfect for filling spaces between more elaborate ornaments.
Striped Shiny Brite Ornaments
Striped ornaments are some of the most recognizable designs.
The stripes might be painted, glittered or combined with other decorative details. These are particularly beautiful when they’re placed where Christmas lights can shine directly onto them.
Indented Ornaments
Indented ornaments are some of my absolute favorites.
These ornaments have recessed centers that reflect light differently from traditional round ornaments. On a lit Christmas tree, the indentations almost seem to glow.
They’re also wonderful ornaments to photograph individually because every tiny detail becomes visible.
Figural and Shaped Ornaments
Not every Shiny Brite-style ornament is a simple ball.
Unusual shapes add so much personality to a collection and make a tree feel as though it has been assembled over many Christmases rather than purchased all at once.
Glittered and Decorated Ornaments
Some ornaments include glitter, painted details, flocking or other embellishments.
These are the ornaments I like to place prominently on the tree instead of hiding them deep inside the branches.
The Beautiful Colors of Shiny Brite Ornaments
Color is where these ornaments really shine.
Rather than limiting myself to only one or two colors, I love the effect of a large assortment of vintage-inspired Christmas colors together.
Red Shiny Brite Ornaments
Red is quintessential Christmas.
Bright cherry red ornaments look especially beautiful next to silver, green and gold and immediately give a tree a traditional Christmas feeling.
Pink Shiny Brite Ornaments
Pink ornaments add softness to a colorful Christmas tree.
Blush, bubblegum and deeper rosy shades are gorgeous mixed with silver, turquoise and gold.
Blue and Turquoise Ornaments
Blue Shiny Brites are some of the prettiest ornaments on a tree.
Turquoise and aqua shades give the collection that unmistakable mid-century Christmas look, particularly when they’re paired with pink and silver.
Green Ornaments
Green glass ornaments can sometimes disappear into the branches from a distance, but up close they’re gorgeous.
I like using brighter or lighter green ornaments where the Christmas lights can illuminate them.
Silver and Gold Ornaments
Metallic ornaments are important when you’re creating a colorful Shiny Brite tree.
Silver reflects surrounding lights and colors, while gold brings warmth. They also provide little visual breaks between brighter colors.
How I Display My Shiny Brite Collection
As beautiful as these ornaments are individually, seeing a large collection together is completely different.
I like the tree to feel abundant.
Instead of placing one ornament on every branch and leaving large spaces between them, I layer ornaments throughout the tree. Some sit toward the tips of the branches while others are tucked farther inside.
That depth makes the tree much more interesting.
It also allows the lights to shine through and reflect off ornaments tucked inside the tree.
If you’re decorating with a large collection, don’t feel as though every ornament needs to be displayed exactly the same way. Let some hang prominently from branch tips while others peek through from deeper inside the tree.
I’ll be sharing my complete process in my How to Decorate a Christmas Tree With Shiny Brite Ornaments guide, including how I layer the ornaments and create a full, collected look.
How to Photograph Shiny Brite Ornaments
If you have your own ornament collection, take pictures of it!
Vintage and vintage-inspired ornaments are filled with tiny details that are easy to miss when they’re hanging among hundreds of other decorations.
I love photographing ornaments individually as well as on the tree.
Natural window light is wonderful for capturing their colors, while photographs taken with the Christmas tree illuminated create an entirely different look.
Try photographing:
- One ornament hanging from a branch
- Several coordinating ornaments together
- A collection organized by color
- A tray or box filled with ornaments
- Close-ups of unusual details
- Small sections of the decorated tree
- The entire finished Christmas tree
- The tree glowing at night
Don’t forget video. Even a few seconds of an ornament gently hanging among sparkling Christmas lights can capture something a still photograph can’t.
Decorating With Shiny Brite Ornaments Beyond the Christmas Tree
A beautiful ornament collection doesn’t have to stay exclusively on the tree.
Fill a large glass bowl with colorful ornaments and place it on a table or buffet. Arrange them in a vintage bowl, tuck them into greenery across a mantel, or display a few particularly special ornaments underneath a glass cloche.
They also look beautiful piled into an antique silver bowl or displayed in vintage ornament boxes.
When you’re decorating with fragile glass ornaments, however, always choose locations where they won’t easily be bumped or knocked onto the floor.
Are Old Shiny Brite Ornaments Collectible?
Yes, vintage Shiny Brite ornaments have become popular Christmas collectibles.
Age isn’t the only thing that makes an ornament interesting, though. Collectors may look at color, design, condition, shape, original packaging and other characteristics.
Some people love hunting for specific designs, while others simply collect ornaments they find beautiful.
I’m firmly in the second camp.
I love the collected look that happens when lots of different colors, shapes and designs are brought together.
How to Store Glass Christmas Ornaments
Storage is especially important when you’re building a large glass ornament collection.
I never want delicate ornaments knocking against one another inside a large container.
Ideally, glass ornaments should be separated and protected so they aren’t rubbing against each other during storage. Original boxes can be wonderful when they’re still sturdy enough to protect the ornaments.
For loose ornaments, use divided ornament storage boxes or carefully wrap individual pieces before packing them away.
Keep ornament boxes somewhere dry and protected from extreme temperature changes, moisture and anything heavy that could crush the boxes.
And label everything.
Once your collection becomes large, being able to immediately find a particular color or style makes decorating much easier.
How to Start a Shiny Brite Ornament Collection
You don’t need hundreds of ornaments to start.
Begin with the ones you genuinely love.
Choose a few colors that catch your attention or look for an ornament style you find particularly beautiful. Over time, you can add different shapes and colors.
Antique stores, estate sales, flea markets and vintage Christmas markets can all be fun places to look for older ornaments. When buying vintage glass ornaments, inspect them carefully for cracks and significant damage.
And remember that you don’t have to collect exclusively vintage pieces.
Mixing older ornaments with newer Shiny Brite designs can give you the abundant, colorful appearance of a vintage Christmas tree without requiring every ornament to be an antique.
My Favorite Thing About Collecting Shiny Brites
Christmas decorating trends change constantly.
One year everything is neutral. The next year it’s red velvet bows, colorful lights, old-fashioned tinsel or another completely different look.
But there is something timeless about a Christmas tree covered in colorful glass ornaments.
They remind me of Christmas trees that were meant to be joyful rather than perfect.
Every ornament adds another little flash of color, and every year the collection grows and changes slightly.
That’s what makes collecting them so much fun.
Creating a Christmas Collection You Can Keep Forever
The best Christmas decorations aren’t necessarily the ones that perfectly match this year’s trends.
They’re the decorations you look forward to seeing again.
That’s how I feel about my Shiny Brite ornaments.
Opening the boxes, rediscovering individual ornaments and finally seeing all of those colors glowing together on the Christmas tree has become part of Christmas itself.
Whether you have three Shiny Brite ornaments or three hundred, display them in a way that makes you happy. Mix the colors. Combine old and new. Put your favorites front and center.
And most importantly, take pictures.
Christmas decorations disappear back into their boxes far too quickly every year. Photographing individual ornaments and your finished tree gives you a beautiful record of how your collection grows over time.
I’ll also be sharing how I decorate an entire Christmas tree with my Shiny Brite ornament collection, with lots of close-up photographs and decorating ideas for creating that colorful, abundant vintage Christmas look.
