First made in Germany in the late 1930s, Shiny Brites were created by ornament maker Max Eckardt, who had the idea to coat glass ornaments with silver nitrate to make them stay shiny longer than any other ornaments on the market. At the onset of World War II, Eckardt moved the company to America and found almost instant success. The ornaments were so popular that he partnered with the Corning Glass Company in Corning, New York in order to make more inventory. In 1939, Woolworth’s ordered 235,000 ornaments—and sold them for just two cents each. The ornaments were originally only made in silver, but throughout the 40s and 50s, the glass company began offering red, green, gold, pink, and blue ornaments in the same style. By the mid-1940s, the company was producing more than 300,000 ornaments a day—which might explain why so many of them still exist. And while sales have tapered off in the last 50 years, the brand hasn’t gone anywhere. And since vintage and nostalgic Christmas decor is back in style (hello, ceramic Christmas trees!), Shiny Brites are in high demand again. And we’re not the only ones excited about the trend: Google searches for ‘Shiny Brite ornaments’ are up more than 800% over the last five years, according to Google Trends. This Christmas, you can decorate your tree in a brand new set of Shiny Brite ornaments, which are available exclusively at West Elm right now. The new collection features everything you love about the classic ornaments you hung on Grandma’s tree, and they’re currently on major sale. Stock up on a pack of 20 classic ball ornaments, or grab a few special shapes to add to your existing collection. The vintage-inspired tree topper is my favorite piece in the new collection (I’ve already got it in my cart!), and since all the ornaments and accessories are inspired by the original designs, they’ll fit right in with any vintage pieces you might have inherited from Grandma. These are a few of our favorite Shiny Brite pieces available from West Elm.
