Glass production began in Okinawa in the late 1800s or early 1900s, but the city’s glass studios were destroyed during World War II. After the war, Okinawan glass makers sought to meet the growing demand for glassware by recycling soda and beer bottles left behind by the U.S. military. Craftsmen melted them in a furnace and then molded the molten material into new forms such as drinking glasses, figurines, lamps, vases, chandeliers, and jewelry. Thus began the distinctively thick and colorful Ryukyu glass, also known as Okinawa glass. Because used bottles often have labels and impurities, Ryukyu glassware typically has bright colors, unique patterns, and air bubbles. All of these have become distinctive and cherished characteristics of this craft. In 1998, Ryukyu glass was designated as a traditional craft of Okinawa.