Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Collecting glass can be a interesting hobby. I love scouring car boots, I always try to get to a car boot before the traders get there and buy all the bargains but alas with a little one having a broken nights sleep I never seem to make it early enough. But its great fun rummaging in those boxes the stall holders cant be bothered to display, and sad to say it is a rush when I find a piece of Stuart crystal or when you spot a item on a table you rush over to grab it almost pushing people out the way (not really I'm usually wheeling my 2 year old in a push chair). Then you haggle, they want a pound you offer 50p then you come to a agreement of 75p. keeping and eye out for a interesting item, I'm mainly into collecting Stuart crystal,and I love it when I find a piece for 50p.
http://www.carbootjunction.com/
Charity shops are also a great place to find great items, but usually things are a little bit dearer, but hey they are good causes so you cant begrudge paying that little bit extra, a lot of them do have people value the items so they now what they are selling.
http://www.alotoforganics.co.uk/cats/charity.php Antiques fairs are always a good place to look for a item you collect, but I didn't find any Stuart crystal at the last fair that I went to. But its great chatting to people who know a lot about glassware, and learning from them.
http://www.antiquesnews.co.uk/fairs/list.htmThe next place I'm going to try are auctions I believe they are a good place to look as well! I just need to jiggle my time so I can go to one! (but I know I will probably get carried away and spend to much!).
Ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/ is a great place to find glass you are collecting sometimes you can get great bargains, I love bidding right at the end I try to bid at the last minute (finger poised on the bid now button at the last few seconds) is also fun! and as I usually get carried away buying things. Its a great place to sell as well! There is only so much one can keep! making a little more money to spend on buying Stuart crystal!!
I'm getting quite good now a recognising who made what piece of glass and roughly when, if I buy a item at a car boot or charity shop I enjoy scouring the web looking for my item and identifying it! glass collecting is also a learning curve as well !
There is also garage sales, second hand shops or even small antique/bric-a-brac shops worth looking at.
There is something beautiful about glassware, the way the light catches it the sound and the history.
Different types of glass that are worth collecting http://collectibles.about.com/cs/glasscollecting/
Glass making is an art, and a very intresting hobby!
Posted in:
antiques,
auctions,
car boots,
eBay,
glass collecting,
hobby,
stuart crystal
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Thursday, November 8, 2007
The Red House Cone
Picture is courtesy of 'The History anarak'.The red house glass cone is generally know for being the home of Stuart crystal, who produced crystal in the cone from 1916 until 1936, until Stuart out grew the cone and moved to a factory across the road producing crystal till the Waterford Wedgwood took over Stuart crystal, and closed its doors in 2001.
It is situated in the Stourbridge area,'The glass quarter' , where glass has been manufactured for centuries, The Red House Cone sits along side the Stourbridge canal.
Picture is courtesy of ' head off elephant / Wayne Ruston'.
Thank you to history anarak and head of elephant/Wayne Rusto for letting me publish their pictures!
Posted in:
Red House cone,
stourbridge,
stuart crystal
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Thursday, October 25, 2007
Posted in:
designs,
history,
links,
Reference,
stuart crystal,
stuart marks
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These photographs of Stuart crystal marks were taken from my own collection, Marks are acid etched, and are usually found on the base. These styles of marks were introduced around the 1920's.
Posted in:
acid etched,
collection,
stuart crystal,
stuart marks
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QUESTION
I am looking at purchasing a tall diamond cut lemonade jug.
I am a bit concerned that the jug-only available-has no "Stuart" marking on it. The dealer assures me that this is common.
Could you please advise me if this is the case.
Best wishes from Australia.
Rhonda.
ANSWER
Hi, Rhonda yes this is common some Stuart items do not have a mark on them. From what I have learned if there is not a mark it is usually because the item of glassware is second grade (i.e there is a slight flaw) If you examine the item there my be mark or bubbles in the crystal or the pattern may be slightly uneven, but still good enough to sell. Have you checked the pattern is a recognised Stuart pattern? Some of my Stuart pieces do not have the makers mark. I also have a item where the mark is so worn I can only just see the 'S' in certain lights. hope this helps. Loraine.
QUESTION
Hello,
I"m sorry but I could not find your name on your website. Great site by the way. I see that you know your glass, and was wondering if you could tell me, if you have ever seen a piece like mine. I have researched for hours and can not find any info on it. When I enter or look up crystal dish that is the shape of a crown I get the same thing everytime. I get the king's crown glass. Would you be so kind to tell me if you have ever seen a dish like mine and tell me who made it. It sure looks like a crown to me. I can not find any makers mark on it. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Regards Cindy
PICTURE BEEN LEFT OUT(PERSONAL PICTURE)
ANSWER
Hi, Cindy, Unfortunatley I havent seen anything like this before, it is a unusual piece, I have had a look at the sites I use for reference and found nothing to indicate who made it or as you say when you look in search it does only come up with The king's crown glass.
This site may be of use to you you can post your picture and hopefully get a response. http://www.glassmessages.com/
If you dont mind I will keep your email so if I come across anything like it I can let you know.
Sorry I couldnt help you.
Regards Loraine.
Posted in:
marks,
quseation and answers,
stuart crystal
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Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Stuart crystal letter opener
This is a unusual item for me to collect but I saw it and couldn't resist.
The handle catches the light beautifully.
I haven't been able to find another picture of one on the Internet, I have found a Waterford crystal one. -Waterford took over Stuart in 1995-.
As you can see Stuart Crystal is clearly marked on the blade of the opener. I do not have any idea on how old this letter opener is.
It is in very good condition, there is a very tiny flea bite to a couple of the corners, but they are very hard to find.
It measures 8.5 inches in length.
Posted in:
eBay,
letter opener,
stuart crystal
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Green Stuart crystal Compote
This is a beautiful
piece of Stuart crystal, It catches the light and has a
fantastic ring. It a shame this item is unmarked but it is a
unmistakable Stuart piece, the colour the '
stratford rings or steps' and the sound of the ring when pinged, tells you it is crystal.
The compote stands 16cm tall and is 16cm across the rim of the bowl.
Posted in:
compote,
crystal,
stuart crystal
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Tall green Stuart crystal wine glass
This glass is slightly different to my other glasses as it has quite a long shaped stem. I have managed to find one on the Internet the same style but in amber, on the Great Glass library.
http://www.great-glass.co.uk/library/lib2ab.htm. registered in 1921. It is worth having a look at their site as is has some lovely examples of Stuart crystal.
I purchased this one on eBay for a good price which was very lucky on my part. Unfortunately I missed a pair of the same in amber, as I missed the end of the auction (They went for a good price). But this one is a great addition to my collection.
It is marked with RD681650.
It stands 16.5 cm tall and measures 7 cm across the rim.
Posted in:
amber,
crystal,
eBay,
stuart crystal,
wine glass
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FIVE
WOODCHESTER 'STUART CRYSTAL' SUNDAE DISHES
I found the sundae dishes in a charity shop (what a find!), and a real
bargain!
The design is W
oodchester, but I haven't been able to find any on the Internet with the dots in between the leaves. They also have the stepped rings (
Stratford), So I am
hoping they are quite unusual. They are a nice addition to my collection. Shame there is not a sixth one to complete the set.
They stand approx 6cm and are 9.5cm across the rim.
All are marked with S
tuart ENGLAND..
You can check out Stuart crystal patterns here
http://www.replacements.com/crystal/STU.htmAny information about this pattern please to contact me!
Posted in:
stratford rings,
stuart crystal,
sundae dishes,
woodchester
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Tuesday, October 16, 2007
These are a stunning pair of Stuart Goblets, They are unmarked, but I am positive they are Stuart. I found this pair on Ebay.
Stuart introduced this design Stratford (stepped rings) in the 1930's in the colours of Amber, Green, clear and Turquoise.
All the colours are stunning and catch the light beautifully.
The stems are ornate with large bowls.
They stand approx 12.5cm and are 8.5cm across the rim.
Posted in:
goblets,
stratford rings,
stuart crystal,
turquoise
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We (being my two sisters and I) decided sell at a antiques fair, We thought how hard can this be. We booked and payed for our stand. Then the night before we had no tables to display our stuff!! After much head scratching we managed to borrow three paste tables off a neighbour in our village (lucky). We arrived there (Park Hall, in Oswestry) the day before to claim our spot, but now what!
The experienced sellers were already there with their caravans and gazebos. So we drove home to fetch my tent, now the fun started we had to put it up. We managed, borrowed a couple of rubber mallets and got it up (With a few bent pegs). Yes! Now we were set.
The first morning of the fair we had to get up at the crack of dawn, well it felt like it actually it was 6.30 in the morning. After a mug of coffee we were off. We borrowed my partners 4x4 loaded up (never drove it before,lucky there was not much traffic in the morning) we put up the paste tables and displayed our stuff, It looked nice we had mainly glass as we all like collecting glass, I think we all spent a lot of the day questioning the other sellers for tips and looking at their stuff trying our hardest not to buy anything. One stall holder actually brought a vase of ours to sell on their store (to which I am quite proud of as I brought it on a car boot and made profit). Myself and my next sister up manage not to buy anything but our oldest sister couldn't resist, she kept slipping off and coming back with something in the guise of going to the toilet!(mmm). We didn't do brilliantly but not to badly, apparently it was a quieter show than normal... We spent two days standing around chatting and drinking coffee. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was a great experience.
The second day we nearly gave up the wind was very strong so we ended up putting our glass on the floor. Sellers lost a lot of stuff (Great British weather) blowing over, we stuck it out and sold a little more. We did come back with a load of stuff but we did sell some as well.
Now we want to do another fair (bitten by the bug). We are already buying stuff on eBay, car boots, and charity shops. But this time we are not only collecting glass but some other bits & bobs as well.
I have to confess if I had seen any Stuart crystal I would have brought some home with me, unfortunately or maybe luckily I found none!!!!
I would highly recommend the experience to anyone that enjoys collecting or selling antiques or collectables....
The organisers of the antique fair were AMULET FAIRS.
http://www.amuletfairs.co.uk/
Posted in:
antiques,
antiques fair,
collectors,
eBay,
fair,
glass,
sell,
sellers,
stuart,
stuart crystal
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Stuart cut crystal sundae dish, when I find out the pattern I will add it later. It catches the light beautifully. Its supports the Stratford rings.
The Stuart mark can just about be made out on the rim of the foot but very worn.
It stands 6cm and is 10.2cm across the rim.
Posted in:
cut crystal,
stratford rings,
stuart crystal,
sundae dishes
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I'd love to know If its a Stuart crystal, I found this (grapefruit dish,I think) in a little shop in a market hall.
The bowl is a lovely colour, luster pink (a little bit paler pink than the picture shows). It has the same rings around the base of the bowl as the Stuart 'Stratford rings' from around the art deco period. the foot is clear. It is god condition with the exception of two small nibbles on the rim (unfortunately, but I only paid 50p for it!). It stands approx 9cm tall by 10cm across the rim. Its not marked but if you look close up its not perfect. I know Stuart didn't mark anything if it was not a first in quality. It does have a lovely sound when pinged (I'm sure crystal).
So to sum up, do any you know if it is???
I would be grateful of any thing you can tell me???
Posted in:
crystal,
dishes,
grapefruit dish,
is it or isn't it,
pink,
stratford,
stratford rings,
stuart,
stuart crystal
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This is a spectacular item, This dish is unmarked (There are a couple of bubbles in the glass I'm assuming that's why it isn't marked), I'm sure its a Stuart. It has the Stuart stepped rings (Stratford), also a ground pontil. Most likely there were originally six sundae dishes that accompanied it. It was a real find at a car boot for next to nothing (lucky for me a great item for my collection).
It stands 14cm and is 19.5 cm wide across the rim.
Posted in:
footed serving dish,
green,
stratford rings,
stuart crystal
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Wow, My sister and I went to a car boot, after parking the car, at the first stall we came to we noticed two old Victorian arm chairs, one of the arms of the chairs looked broken,stupidly I touched it oops! It all fell off! Embarrassingly as I was trying to put it back together, I heard a voice saying "No matter luv it is broken so you can have them for a fiver the pair!" I heard my sister talking to the man and I turned round, it was someone
we knew. So we snapped his hand off. What a bargain! (£2.50 each).
They needed work but we could sort them out! Unfortuneatly we then had to ask him to bring them home for us (they wouldn't fit in my car). He agreed.
They are now sitting in my front room and my little girl loves them, she sits on them all the time. I would love to keep them but I really do not have the space.
So now we have to restore them (not to much work I hope!.). They need recovering and as luck would have it my sister has some lovely green velvet and we know a man that does re-upholstery as a hobby. So now we are waiting to see how much he will charge (not to much we hope!).
I did go to the car boot hoping to find some Stuart crystal, but Alas no!, but I do hope these chairs turn out to be worth it.
Watch out for my next blog to see how these two ugly ducklings turn out!!!
Posted in:
car boot,
chairs,
hobby,
re-upolstery,
restore,
stuart,
stuart crystal,
victorian
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ONE AMBER PORT GLASS
This glass is slightly different in size from the other ones I have. It has a straight stem.
This glass stands 9cm and is 6.25cm across the rim.
Posted in:
amber,
glass,
port,
port glass,
stuart,
stuart crystal
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FOUR CUT SUNDAE DISHES
These catch the light beauutifully.
They stand 6cm and are 11cm across the rim.
Posted in:
dishes,
stuart,
stuart crystal,
sundae,
sundae dishes
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AMBER WATER JUG WITH FOUR TUMBLERS
The tumblers are marked but
unfortunately the jug
hasn't. But a lovely set.
Posted in:
amber,
stuart,
stuart crystal,
tumblers,
water jug
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TURQUOISE COLLECTION
This collection comprises of a water jug, 4 large tumblers,2 smaller tumblers and a cocktail glass.
Unmarked.
Posted in:
collection,
glasses,
stuart,
stuart crystal,
turquoise,
water jug
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TWO AMBER SUNDAE DISHES
Made of quite thick crystal.
They stand 6.5cm and are 10.75cm on the rim.
Posted in:
amber,
dishes,
glass,
stuart,
stuart crystal,
sundae dishes
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