Phosphate glasses doped with Dy 3+ ions and co-doped with Dy 3+ –Tm 3+ ions are successfully prepared in the present work. Their photoluminescence properties have been studied by absorption, excitation and emission spectra. A combination of blue and yellow emissions has emerged in the glasses, which allows the observation of white light when the glasses are excited by the ultraviolet light. The emission intensity of Dy 3+ is influenced by the system ionicity, while the intensity ratio of yellow to blue emissions from Dy 3+ can be tuned by varying both the concentration of Tm 3+ ion and the glass matrix composition.