Topic: Opaline glass

[Anne Tique]

The original question of this thread, if I remember well, was where the name originated from and the differences between the terms opalin and opaline.

It's not my interpretation of Opaline that suggested it as being the production, it's three books so far saying the same thing, with the term opalin referring to the colour of a piece, but as you say Paul, I guess that the true or older meaning of a term more or less looses its value with time, as production and techniques develop. I'm not trying to make a statement or arguing what's been said before, I'm only quoting two books.

About restruck pressed glass ... I have no idea. I only know that it was called opaline de foire, still is today, and was called like that because it was cheaper to produce and sold at fairs ... hence the name foire.

The book unfortunately didn't give me the result on this topic but it has loads of terms that are new to me, again lost through time but nice to discover... so it's a keeper 

[flying free]

Paul said:

'There doesn't seem much point arguing against the word opalin being a term which describes something with the properties similar to the precious stone - one criteria of which is that it must have the sunset glow - in common with the stone. '

I don't understand what you mean?  And as I have said before not ALL opals have a fiery glow.  Common opals do not.  Fire opals do not all either.
The problem is where is the reference source for that being the descriptor of the word opalin?
And which glass does it refer to?  Is it just Baccarat?

I think we need Ivo   - and to find a direct source of Baccarat naming their range 'opalin' (which is where it might have come from iirc?)and to find out why they named it that?  was it because the glass was translucent and not transparent or opaque?  or was it because it changed colour?

I suspect the Edith Manoni book is a good reference.
I suspect my Clichy book is a good source as well ! I have referenced that on the much earlier thread, translated it and typed it up and I think their opaline glass was referred to as opaline or les opalines.





m

[Paul S.]

  hello m.          You might find the following, from the OED (admittedly the shorter two (large) volume version), of interest in this tete a tete   .......... 

Opalescent is defined as  ............
""a. 1813(f. OPAL + -ESCENT.)        Exhibiting a play of colours or iridescence (rainbow colours) - like that of the opal.    So Opale'sque a. 1863.               Opale'scence, the quality of being o. 1805""
the italics within the brackets are mine.

Opaline is defined as:
""a. and sb. 1784(f. OPAL + -INE            A. adj. Opalescent; of the nature of opal.           B. sb 1.   Occas. applied to a variety of yellow chalcedony which presents am opaline semi-opacity 1861.      2.  A semi-translucent glass; also called milk-glass 1875.              3. An opaline colour, surface, or expanse 1871.""                Here, the italics are not mine.

Not being a collector of jewellery, I'm not too well up on the appearance of opals, but had this idea that the vast majority of those I'd seen had colour to some extent.            I can't imagine the word transparent ever being one of the criteria/properties of either of the above definitions. 

You notice that lower case f appearing in both the above definitions     

[flying free]

Right, so opaline would be the correct overall descriptor for glass which is semi-translucent according to that.

If it also had a play of colour it would be Opaline AND Opalescent.

If it didn't have a play of colour- because it had been made semi translucent by use of a particular additive that did not give the opalescent fieriness - then it would still be just Opaline.

But, that dic def doesn't add the further determinants that opaline is one colour, mixed in the batch and not cased  does it?

 

[Paul S.]

hi  -  wish I could add positively to this thread, especially after all the hard work you've done m  -  you'll notice that my contributions are really only the efforts of other people's thoughts.I

I think I know what an opal looks like, probably opalescent glass too - I know it's frustrating perhaps not 'wrapping up' what we might feel are lose ends, but sometimes we need to let go and settle for what we do know  -  you should feel proud of the massive contribution you've made, to the GMB, on this subject