Topic: Some more possible ABP glass

[mhgcgolfclub]

Kristi and Karen
Some more items of possible ABP glass all collected from around the Lndon area
The first one being an oval shape bowl which measures 12" x 8" x 2.5" in height
A low round bowl 10.5" X 1.5" in height
A smaller flat bowl or under plate 8.75" and a matching bowl which came with this item


Roy

[KarenR]

I am so impressed with what you found it's hard to know what to say. 

During the American Brilliant period, only the wealthy could afford glass of the quality you have found.  There was lots of mediocre quality glass produced in America.  Searching newspaper archives I have seen ads in America for 'rich cut glass' sold even in hardware stores.  I wonder if only the best quality was exported to Europe.  You seem to have an instinct for the best:) When looking at cut glass are you able to distinguish acid polishing from wood wheel/hand polishing?  If so, do you see much inferior quality glass?

[mhgcgolfclub]

Hi Karen

When I first see a nice piece of cut glass, I always go on the look pattern and thickness of the blank, then its pick up the piece as I think you can tell a lot about the piece by how sharp the cutting is, most of the good quality pieces you can feel them cutting into your hands, not sure if I would be able to tell if acid polished or wood polished, I believe if wood polished the cutting would be sharper and the glass a brighter finished, and if acid polished the item was dipped into acid , the process would have been quicker and cheaper but acid polished items may be slightly duller and not quite as sharp, please correct me if wrong.
I see many items of inferior cut glass some maybe from the USA and much from European makers, I think most of my items are of good quality wether they came from the USA or possibly European makers
Some more of my items below include a signed Canadian Gowans and Kent Rose bowl
A Whiskey decanter
A nappy the only item that came from ebay but from the UK bought by my wife and a silver rimed bowl

Roy

[krsilber]

I agree with Karen - you've got some really nice glass there!  I tried having a look for the patterns yesterday, but it was (no surprise to me) a fruitless effort.  These patterns make my head spin!  Karen's got much more experience with it, hopefully she'll be able to help.

From what I've read it seems to me distinguishing acid polished pieces isn't so cut-and-dried as one would think.  Some of it is obviously acid polished and left that way, but there's also high-quality glass that was hand buffed after the acid treatment, so you never see the effects of the acid.  Some recipes and procedures for the acid were better than others, too, and kept secret.

Seems to me there's as much potential for poor hand polishing as there is for poor acid polishing - but this isn't really my area, though Karen and I have discussed it some.

I've heard that Waterford fire-polished their crystal, and always wondered if that was true and who else might have done it.  Libbey had a couple patents for it, but I don't know if they ever did it much.

[KarenR]

Roy, pieces 7 & 8, bowl and underplate, when studied carefully have only the flashed hobstar motif in common.  At some point in time someone 'married' the two pieces. 

Regarding that #8 bowl, the center is conspicuously absent of any design.  I wonder also if it had a silver rim at some time ...it would be inconsistent to so elaborately and beautifully cut the bowl and leave the rim plain. 

[krsilber]

...or a cover maybe?  I would think if it used to have a rim, you'd see evidence of that.  I have a Hawkes bowl that used to have one, and there's clear signs of it.  It looks deep enough that it might have had a cover, and maybe that would explain the fact that the center isn't cut - you would rarely see it.

[krsilber]

Roy, do you have a UV light?

[mhgcgolfclub]

Karen and Kristi

Thanks for your help, the bowl and underplate pieces 7 and 8 , the bowl also has the fan pattern as well as the flashed hobstar, you could well be right about being married , but I suspect the 2 pieces were bought together and were made by the same company and have just survived together over the years and that they were separate items that were not to be together, no evidence of any silver rim, and Kristi I do have a UV light

Roy

[KarenR]

Roy, I believe your first piece was made by the Laurel Cut Glass Company in their Miriam pattern, pictured in Laurel's 1907 catalog. 

[mhgcgolfclub]

Karen

Thank you very much it looks a perfect match and the same size bowl, its great to be able to put a name and pattern to at least some of my pieces

Roy