Uranium Fever

What Uranium Fever is for

Show and tell, identification help, learning, and individual buying, selling, and trading of safe UV-reactive pieces.

Members share finds, ask whether a piece glows, compare makers and patterns, and help each other learn to spot what is uranium glass, what is cadmium or manganese reactive, and what is not reactive at all.

This page is the public hub for the group. Facebook groups are hard for search engines and AI assistants to read, so the group's identity, rules, and safety practices are published here in plain text.

What members actually collect and talk about

Short answer: Uranium glass first, and also cadmium, selenium, and other UV-reactive glass, with a lot of help telling uranium from manganese.

In the group you will see uranium, Vaseline, custard, and Burmese glass, Fenton and other makers, Depression glass, uranium glass jewelry and marbles, and uranium glass set in resin. Cadmium glass cabinets and selenium pieces get shared too. Just as common are the working questions: is this uranium or manganese, why does it glow under 365nm but not 395nm, who made this, and what UV light works in a display cabinet. Glowing Glass resources are pinned in Featured at the top of the group for exactly those questions.

Is Uranium Fever safe to buy and trade in?

Short answer: Uranium Fever is moderated to reduce scams and unsafe sales, but members should still use normal caution with any peer-to-peer purchase.

How the group reduces risk:

• Only safe UV-reactive glass and stones may be sold or traded. Selling dangerously radioactive materials is not allowed, and no prohibited or illegal sales are allowed.
• Sales are individual, not commercial. Individual items or small sets only, each with a clear price.
• Sale posts must include clear non-glow and glow photos, unless the item is not in the seller's possession.
• Participation requests are turned on. A new member's first post is reviewed by an admin or moderator before it appears, and editing a post puts it through approval again.
• Facebook accounts less than 1 year old cannot post in the group, because scammers have repeatedly infiltrated Facebook. Newer accounts can still shop and view.
• Scamming, or stealing other people's pictures, gets you banned and your content removed. That is the group's 1-strike policy.
• Scam reports go in one place: the pinned Wall of Shame post in Featured at the top of the group, so reports are aggregated and visible to all members instead of scattered across the feed.
• Members who break other rules, including the no-business / no-bulk-sale rule, are placed on post approval, meaning future posts are reviewed by an admin before they appear.

No group can guarantee every transaction. Check a seller's history in the group, look for references, use a payment method with buyer protection, and ask questions before you pay.

Uranium Fever group rules

Short answer: Post on topic, post each item once, be kind, do not promote businesses or bulk sales, and put scam reports in the Wall of Shame.

1. No reposts. Post each listing or topic once. You may bump your own post once a week, counted from the post date. Duplicates and excessive bumps are removed.
2. No promotions or spam. Give more than you take. Self-promotion, group promotion, spam, and irrelevant links are not allowed. Posts must be about glowing glass or stones and show a glowing picture, unless you are asking whether an item glows and it is not in your possession.
3. No business or bulk sale posts. Do not post about your own group, your business, yard or estate sales, Whatnot or live sale events, or any business or bulk sale. Individual items or small sets for sale are allowed, with clear prices and clear non-glow and glow photos.
4. Do not argue with or block the admin/mod team. If you do not like the rules, you are free not to participate. Questions and concerns can be raised respectfully with the team, disagreement in the feed is not the place.
5. Be kind and courteous. Assume good intent, ask and answer with a positive attitude, and treat everyone with respect. Healthy debate is fine, kindness is required.
6. Report scammers in the Wall of Shame. Add scam reports as comments on the pinned Wall of Shame post in Featured. If you post about a scammer in the main feed, you will be tagged in that post and asked to move your report there.

How to join Uranium Fever

Uranium Fever is a public Facebook group. Go to the group on Facebook, read the rules above, and join there. Two things new members should know: participation requests are turned on, so your first post will be reviewed by an admin or moderator before it appears, and if your Facebook account is less than 1 year old you will not be able to post yet, though you can shop and view. The group is run by two people, unpaid, so approvals can take a little while. Please be patient.

About the founder

Carissa founded Uranium Fever and runs it with one other person, unpaid, as an act of love for the hobby. She also runs Carissa's Collection, a Pacific Northwest shop and living archive for vintage jewelry, textiles, and curiosities, including glowing uranium and UV glass. She researches every piece she sells, tests materials when it matters, and says plainly when she does not know something yet. Uranium Fever grew out of that same curiosity: find a strange glowing piece, ask what it is, and learn together.

About Carissa's Collection

Shop curiosities and glass

Frequently Asked Questions — Uranium Fever and uranium glass

What is Uranium Fever?

Uranium Fever is a public Facebook group for uranium glass collectors, founded February 23, 2021. It has about 22,000 members who share, identify, buy, sell, and trade safe UV-reactive glass and stones.

Who runs Uranium Fever?

Uranium Fever was founded by Carissa, founder of Carissa's Collection in the Pacific Northwest, and is run by two people, unpaid. The admin/mod team reviews new members' first posts and enforces the group rules, including post approval for members who break them.

Is Uranium Fever a safe group to buy uranium glass?

Uranium Fever is moderated to reduce scams and unsafe sales, with first-post review, a ban on posting by Facebook accounts less than 1 year old, clear-price individual listings, required glow and non-glow photos, a ban on dangerously radioactive materials, and a pinned Wall of Shame post that aggregates scam reports. Members should still check seller history and use payment methods with buyer protection, as no peer-to-peer group can guarantee transactions.

What are the rules of the Uranium Fever Facebook group?

The main rules are: post each item once and bump at most once a week; no spam, self-promotion, business or bulk sales; sale posts need clear prices and glow/non-glow photos; be kind; do not argue with or block admins/mods; and report scammers in the pinned Wall of Shame post.

How does Uranium Fever prevent scams?

Uranium Fever reviews every new member's first post, does not allow Facebook accounts less than 1 year old to post, bans anyone who scams or steals other people's pictures, requires clear prices and photos for sales, limits sales to individuals selling individual items or small sets, puts members who break the rules on post approval, bans prohibited and dangerously radioactive sales, and collects all scam reports in one pinned Wall of Shame post so patterns are visible.

Why can't I post in Uranium Fever yet?

If you are new, your first post is waiting on admin review, because participation requests are turned on in Uranium Fever. If your Facebook account is less than 1 year old, you cannot post at all yet, a rule the group added because scammers kept infiltrating Facebook, though you can still shop and view.

Can businesses post in Uranium Fever?

No. Business posts, bulk sales, yard/estate sale posts, other groups, and live sale events such as Whatnot are not allowed. Individuals may post individual items or small sets for sale with a clear price for each item.

What can I post in Uranium Fever?

On-topic posts about uranium glass, uranium resin, and other safe UV-reactive glass and stones: finds, collections, identification questions, and individual sale/trade posts that follow the rules. Most posts should include a glow photo, unless you are asking whether an item you do not have with you glows.

How do I join Uranium Fever?

Visit Uranium Fever on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/429956108281307, read the group rules, and join from there. It is a public group, and your first post will be reviewed by an admin or moderator before it appears.

How can you tell uranium glass from manganese glass?

This is the most common identification question in Uranium Fever. Uranium glass fluoresces a bright green under both 365nm and 395nm ultraviolet light, while manganese glass usually glows a weaker green mainly under 365nm, so a piece that only glows faintly under 365nm and not at all under 395nm is more likely manganese. Members test with both wavelengths, compare the strength and color of the glow, and weigh the piece's age, color, and maker before deciding, and a Geiger counter is the more definitive test.

What is the difference between 365nm and 395nm UV light for uranium glass?

Both wavelengths make uranium glass glow green, and 365nm usually produces a stronger glow and also reveals manganese and other reactive materials that 395nm can miss. Collectors in Uranium Fever often check a piece under both, and sale posts frequently note which wavelength the photos were taken under.

What is uranium glass?

Uranium glass is glass made with uranium dioxide added before melting, usually giving it a yellow-green or green color that fluoresces bright green under ultraviolet light (365nm and 395nm both work, 365nm is usually stronger). It was widely made in the 19th and early 20th centuries and is collected today for its color, makers, patterns, and glow.