Topic: IOW maximal polar bear??? in black and white ? what do you think

[chopin-liszt]

Baked beans - all Azurene is gold and/or silver foil over a colour of some sort.

I've decided I'm personally completely clueless about these!  I've just noticed that the non Azurene ones attributed to St. John's do have that neat little turn to the head.

But the non Azurene ones made at IoWSG should be fairly scarce - given they were only made in '83, so I don't quite get how a load of them could have turned up with the same consignment of Azurene finished, probably St John's, beasties.

My bear is exactly the same as the one in the book - that distemper green (which was never used at IoWSG) and it's not very nicely modelled at all - at first I thought it was just a big mouse.

I shall stick to what I know.  :thup:
Distemper green = St John's.
Label reading "St. John's" = St. John's.
and
massive Azurene fish-thing, (shape same as Wedgwood fish) crudely finished, matching even more massive, crudely-finished, Azurene-Wedgwood-fish-shape-thing-with-label = very probably + St John's.)

 :ooh:

[rosieposie]

Sue, you most certainly are not 'clueless about these little beasties!!'

When speaking to Ron about these, it would seem that originally the animals were made on the Isle of Wight and sent over to the Isle of Man to have the gold finish put on them as it was more economical to do that....hence the quality of the animals was consistant.

I have lots of IOM glass animals that are like Christines speckled ellie. These are not azurene, and the quality is superb
I also had many and still have several IOW azurene animals that are different colours....blue, green, and a lovely creamy white.  I think I showed the hedgehog collection on here a while ago.....including a black one and a tiny minimal one.

So, I think that it is possible that IOM did carry on production of these animals after the agreement with IOW ran out, and that may be when they changed the shape of their label from round (I have some of those) to Triangular like IOW labels.
I really don't know for certain.

All I do know, is that I had some and sold them and I regret that, because they were lovely, and all the people who bought them were delighted with them, and now I know why!!

Buyers remorse hurts so much!! :cry:

[Lustrousstone]

No ellies here   :huh:

[rosieposie]

No ellies here   :huh:

You are so right Christine....sorry, I meant Anne EB!!  :pb:
I need some supper!! :usd:

[glassobsessed]

it would seem that originally the animals were made on the Isle of Wight and sent over to the Isle of Man to have the gold finish put on them

That does not sound right Rosie, the gold leaf is applied while the glass is hot so it fuses. It would hardly make sense to make something, cool it, send it elsewhere and then heat it up again (with the risk for each item that that would entail). Then apply the gold leaf and work it in before another stay in the lehr to cool.

John

[rosieposie]

You are quite right John, that occurred to me as well as I was eating supper!!

I did say that Ron had given me information overload......he, (quite rightly) has so much knowledge about these lovely pieces of art glass......I might well have misunderstood all that he told me, so, I have been looking through some previous threads about this topic and see that actually the whole process was outsourced to IOM as a cost saving measure........it would seem that ex Wedgwood employers were used to make them.

So thank you John for making me check up on that.....I'm learning more and more about them......still got a long way to go though.

Michelle,  good news!! I have had a reply from the buyer of the one I sold, and she has said she will take some pictures for me....hope we don't have to wait too long.......I'll post them as soon as they arrive.....OK?

[glassobsessed]

That is a relief Rosie, I was beginning to doubt myself and was wondering if they really had been sent backwards and forwards.

John

[rosieposie]

No need to doubt yourself John,  you know more about glass in your little finger than I will ever know.....I really value all the help and information given on this message board.....it has helped me immensely and that is one of the reasons I try to help identify glass for others. 
Most often I don't have a clue,  but the search for info makes me learn, and at my age that is no bad thing. So once again, thanks for making me look and check.

[Baked_Beans]

So, is it true to say then , that the majority , if not all, of these Polar Bears and other IOW Azurene animals etc., were made on the IOM by ex-Wedgwood glassblowers and using St Johns glass even though they may have IOW labels ?   :ho: I think this is how I have read it so far  :usd: ....but I may have got hold of the wrong end of the stick here !!

Ta Mike  :ho: :ho:

[chopin-liszt]

Isle of Wight Studio Glass ones with IoWSG labels would have been made at Isle of Wight Studio Glass.

Azurene is the description of the effect of using gold and silver foil - no matter what colour of glass it is on. If there is no foil, it isn't Azurene.

At St John's, they (including workers from Wedgwood) used Michael Harris' designs and tecniques under license to make maximals and minimals, until they reneged on the license agreement.