King's Crown Collection Page-Care and Feeding

Below are a few of my observation in regards to the care of King's Crown.

Keep it out of the sun!: The older King's Crown whether it is ruby stained or totally clear has manganese in it and when exposed to sun light it turns a permanant shade of amethyst. Some collectors consider it damaged once in this state.

I also had a problem with the sun. I have a 5 part relish dish that I noticed was fully exposed to the sun at a certain time during the day. I thought that's not good and went to move it. I noticed it had a big of chip on the inner rim of the ruby flashing. After my eyes retracted back into my head I noticed that there was round indention in that chip. It had once been a bubble. I think heating up in the sunlight caused that bubble to burst and chip my glass.

Another observation of sun light and ruby flashed King's Crown. My kitchen is very sunny, but no King's Crown comes into direct contact with sunlight in there. I have a candy box and the flashing wasn't looking as bright as it had once been. I wonder if the sun is fading it. I have noticed this on a couple pieces in my collection. They seem to be pieces that have flashing that seems very thin and not as well made as the other pieces.
Do not put it in the dishwasher!: My best friend's sister in-law saw my King's Crown and said, "Oh is that the stuff you collect. My parents have some glasses up at their cabin and we totally abuse them." That may not be an exact quote, but that's what I heard. It was too painful to conceive, so I blocked it out. It wasn't long before I was invited to the cabin. I had forgotten the King's Crown comment until I saw the glasses in the cabinet! The glasses had been through the dishwasher a zillion times. None had intact staining. Some had thin spotty ruby staining and some were just a yellowish color around where the ruby should be. She told me they had all once been ruby stained. That's why when I see King's Crown with what a dealer calls yellow stained I wonder if indeed it is yellow or has the ruby worn down to that stage.
Beware of the yellow stain!