Topic: Whitefriars Glass ? or have i been stupid...

[sunburyboy93]

Hi,

I am new around here, so first things first, i would like to say hello to everyone  , i am based in Surrey (UK) and have been doing research about Whitefriars Glass for the last few weeks, i collect parker pens and i have five of the Whitefriars Pen Holders that were made for Parker Pen Company.

The glass on these is lovely and has now made me want to collect some Whitefriars glass, however i am bamboozled by the all the different types, colours, styles, and the vast amount of lookalikes etc etc, which brings me to my question.

Whilst walking around an Antique fair this morning i found a pieces of Glass that the seller (Speciality Glass Dealer) told me was a Whitefriars Paperweight however i can find lots of the Controlled Bubble paperweights on Google image search for Whitefriars, but not these 

Have i been what's known as "Stitched Up" by the dealer ?

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad235/sunburyboy93/w2.jpg

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad235/sunburyboy93/w7.jpg

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad235/sunburyboy93/w6.jpg

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad235/sunburyboy93/w4.jpg







 

[Lustrousstone]

Yep, these are Chinese I think, certainly nothing good

[sunburyboy93]

Thanks very much for that, i think i knew really as to be fair, it doesn't feel that nice, but i didn't pay too much for it so not too bad.

apart from E-bay which is too much of a minefield for me as i don't know enough to take the risk yet, is there a place where you can buy
the paperweights and have 100% assurance that it's Whitefriars

I was going to buy this earlier on E-Bay but it doesn't look right to me, would i be right

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTA0MVgxMTA5/z/vlcAAOSwwNVTtU8r/$_57.JPG

[Lustrousstone]

The pictures aren't good enough to see, but I'm pretty confident this is right if you want a clear one
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLEAR-GLASS-WHITEFRIARS-CONTROLLED-BUBBLE-PAPERWEIGHT-/201122455600 or this one without a central bubble
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLEAR-GLASS-WHITEFRIARS-CONTROLLED-BUBBLE-PAPERWEIGHT-/201122455600

[chopin-liszt]

Hi and welcome!
it would be better to post the link to the auction directly. That way, nobody gets into any copyright muddles over images.
I can't read what the seller says about it either.

Have you found http://www.whitefriars.com/ yet? That is a forum dedicated to wfs only, although folk from there do come here occassionally.

Perhaps Lesley Jackson's Whitferiars book might be a good investment for you.

From what I can make out on those images, I'd be very doubtful it was Whitefriars. But I can't make much out!

Wfs bubbles would be far more controlled and much smaller, I think, but I'm not a wfs person - don't quote me or take me seriously about it!

[sunburyboy93]

Thank you very much, i think it's a case of trying to run before i can walk !!

I will have to learn what i'm after first otherwise i'm just wasting money...

Thanks to you both for your help, it is greatly appreciated

Best regards


Steve

[chopin-liszt]

You are most welcome, we've all made loads of mistakes. It's par for the course, learning about glass.
But don't be backwards in coming forwards to ask.
That's why we're here. All still learning.

(I've modified my last post to include a link to whitefriars .com)

[Tony G]

Hi,
       Whitefriars.com is a great source of information but you can't beat meeting like minded Whitefriars collectors. There are 4 Glass Fairs each year. Two at Cambridge and two at The Motorcycle Museum near Birmingham. Just google Glass Fair and you should find details of the next one.

Whitefriars.com always have a stand at the glass fairs and you will learn a lot by visiting them.

Later you might fancy a copy of the Guide to Whitefriars Paperweights by Brian Slingsby (their Chief Technical Officer). If so, I can get you a pdf copy as there are no more in print.

Cheers,

Tony

[RescoCCC]

Thank you very much, i think it's a case of trying to run before i can walk !!

You're not alone. I have shelves full of cheap junk glass I bought when I first started that's been gathering dust for years. I just chalk it up to tuition expense.

[chopin-liszt]

Yup, you need to get a feel for it. Seriously!
Holding and feeling glass of all sorts of different qualities will help you learn how to tell good from bad.
We even had a lady here who was in the habit of both licking and (gently!) biting glass to help get a proper feel for it.
And nothing beats actually watching glassmakers at work. The more you know about the processes, the better able you are to judge what is a complicated or easy thing to achieve and so, the quality of the maker and the piece.
The more you learn, the more you find out there is to learn...