Russian vintage Christmas glass mercury ornament. 5 inch. ( 13 cm) tall. In excellent condition. The person more commonly credited with bedecking the first Christmas tree is Martin Luther (1483-1546). Supposedly, while he was walking outside one night, he was so inspired by the stars twinkling through the trees that he cut down a tree and decorated it with candles, to recreate the outdoor effect. No contemporary record of this event exists, so it may never have happened, but if it did, that makes candles the most traditional ornament of all. In the mid 16th century, Christmas markets were set up in German towns, to provide everything from gifts, food and more practical things such as a knife grinder to sharpen the knife to carve the Christmas Goose! At these fairs, bakers made shaped gingerbreads and wax ornaments for people to buy as souvenirs of the fair, and take home to hang on their Christmas Trees. The best record we have is that of a visitor to Strasbourg in 1601. He records a tree decorated with "wafers and golden sugar-twists (Barleysugar) and paper flowers of all colours". The early trees were biblically symbolic of the Paradise Tree in the Garden of Eden. The many food items were symbols of Plenty, the flowers, originally only red (for Knowledge) and White (for Innocence). Two more ornaments can be traced to the Middle Ages as well. Medieval mystery plays, designed to entertain the masses while teaching them Christian doctrine, often featured "paradise trees" decorated with apples. Apples and other fruits made their way onto Christmas trees quite early, first in natural forms and later made from marzipan, glass, and other materials. Mystery play trees also featured unconsecrated Communion wafers, representing the antidote to the forbidden fruit. Wafers appeared on early Christmas trees, too. Collectible glass Christmas ornaments made to hang on trees date back to the second half of the 19th century. Most were made in Germany and Austria and the surrounding area. Frank W. Woolworth, the dime-store king, was in large measure responsible for bringing them to the United States in the 1880s. The ornaments were hugely popular and profitable, and soon several retail chains carried them. Some of Russian glass ornaments are published in George Johnson's book Christmas-Ornaments, Lights and Decorations. Cones are natural decorations found on living trees, so they were among the first molded glass ornaments produced. Cones are believed to be symbols of motherhood and fertility. An old legend surrounding cones has given them additional symbolism. One winter's day, a poor old woman and her family went out to gather cones on the mountainside to use for fuel. Suddenly an obliging little elf appeared from under an evergreen tree and directed them to where the best cones could be found. As the baskets were filled, they grew increasingly heavy, until the old woman and her children could hardly carry them. But suddenly, to their delight, their burdens lightened when they discovered that every cone they had selected had magically turned into pure silver! Pictures are part of the description and reflect the current state of the article. The real color of the item may be slightly different from the pictures shown on the website caused by many factors such as brightness of your monitor and light brightness. Shipping: Standard domestic and international shipping. We are more than happy to combine purchases. Please note that any returns, insurances or customs duties levied are the responsibility of the buyer. Customs can cause delays with your shipment which the seller has no control over. Please consider such delays when making your purchase. Despatch Time: We ship via registered airmail with the tracking number within 72 hours of receipt of cleared payment. The estimate delivery time to Europe is about 16-25 days, to the USA -20-40 days Returns: If you are not happy with your item, please return it to us in its original packaging within 14 days. Return shipping must be paid for by the buyer. Refund of purchase price will be made through Paypal..