Topic: Decanter/Bottle ID - stumped

[madrone]

Good morning! I am a new member and a new glass collector. I recently found the decanter in the pictures and haven't been able to positively ID the piece. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. There appear to be pontils on the bottle and the stopper. The stopper may not be original to the bottle, though; I'm not quite experienced enough to tell.

Thanks!

[Ivo]

Hello Madrone, welcome to the GMB. We hope you'll manage to get your glass identified here.

Your decanter is a bit of a difficult one. Shape and colour are quite unremarkable, the pontil mark seems to be unfinished and pointing at a glass maker in the decorative rather than the high end of the market. The stopper is hand blown and has a shape you would expect to see from an artisanal glassblower: it wobbles which makes you wonder if it is original. I think it is.

I'm not saying it is but I could be convinced yours is a mexican decanter.

[madrone]

Ivo - thank you for the quick response. Hadn't even occurred to me to check into Mexico-produced glass! So how do you ID Mexican glass? I bought this bottle/decanter from a shop where the seller said the amethyst glass she was selling had all come from the same collection at an estate sale. At the same time I purchased a small Biot bottle without a stopper or cork (and was told it was something VERY different than what it is!); is it a difference in glass quality that I'll be able to spot more easily with experience or something specific?

[Ivo]

That is curious - the type of stopper is exactly what Biot uses for their decanters. Except, of course, Biot glass all has bubbles and a circular blowpipe finish for pontil mark. And it is stamped.
Realistically, it is not the quality of glass which s at issue, but the finish - if a company takes the trouble to properly finish and polish rims and pontil scars, then they are in a higher league. Which is an identifyer in itself.

[madrone]

Curious is a good word for that and good to know about the finishing of the pontil. So glad this forum is here - a lot for me to learn.

Just for kicks, here is the Biot bottle.

Thanks!