Shiny Brite Ornaments

The Shiny Brite company, started by entrepeneur Max Eckhardt, was a very popular producer of mercury glass Christmas ornaments during the mid 20th century.

The first Shiny Brite ornaments were lacquered by machine and hand-decorated. Later ornaments were silvered on the inside (in order to remain "Shinier" and "brighter"for a longer time), except during WWII when a shortage or materials forced production to be limited to clear glass balls with pastel stripes of color.These clear ornaments usually had a sprig of tinsel inside to add sparkle.

Some of the fancier Shiny Brite ornaments are currently being reproduced by Christopher Radko.

The Shiny Brite ornaments were sold as boxed sets of coordinating ornaments. They are easy to find, affordable and fun to collect.