Topic: Early Dartington Sharon glasses?

[djyee100]

Can you identify these glasses? I bought them from the Design Research store in Cambridge, Ma, USA, around 1972. They were on a sale table for a discount, and I bought them because I thought they were pretty.  Unfortunately, they have been barely used over the years, mostly kept in a box somewhere for storage. Yesterday I unpacked them and looked them over.

From my research online, I believe they are Dartington Sharon glasses. They do not match pix of Sharon glasses as manufactured now, however.

Glass #1 (on left) measures approx
3 3/4" diam of brim
5 1/2" high
2 3/4" diam of base

Glass #2 (on right) measures approx
3" diam of brim
5 3/4" high
2 1/2" diam of base

>> Are they an early design of the Dartington Sharon glasses?

>> What are these glasses supposed to be used for?  I think Glass #2 (right) is a sherry glass.
But what about Glass #1 (left)?

[Paul S.]

Hi - welcome to the GMB                    Apart from any labels, a lot of their material was given a backstamp, in a small sized font, which in the case of drinking glasses would have been under the foot, usually, but not everything was marked.
I'm looking at the Linda and Stuart Smithson book - page 55 top left - which shows three separately sized drinking glasses from the 'Sharon' range ..................   designed by Frank Thrower in 1970 for his daughter Sharon, and given the reference FT 115.

If these aren't 'Sharon' then they're close ...................   the problem with hand made glasses is that over a period of time there may be small differences that creep in to the basic design  -  depending perhaps which worker was responsible for making them.     The book shows a sherry, claret and a goblet, but unfortunately doesn't provide any heights, so can't make comparisons with yours.         Again, the teardrop looks to differ slightly with yours too, but what appears to vary a little more is the width of the stem where it meets the bowl.                Would suggest you're correct re the right hand piece being a sherry, but your other glass is much wider at the rim than those in the book.

Assume you've been looking on the Replacements.com site - which we use frequently for help with id - I notice that their site doesn't include a bowl as wide as your left hand example.              Regret I've no idea as to whether you're correct in saying this pattern is produced currently.

I'm going to say I think you're probably correct with 'Sharon', but that left hand glass worries me slightly - sorry this is inconclusive for you,
let's hope someone with more knowledge of Dartington looks in.

[glassobsessed]

Interesting question, they are like no other Sharon glasses that I have seen but if they were made by Dartington perhaps they were a range produced for the American market and not sold in Britain. The shapes are not typical of Sharon especially the slight curve in the profiles.

Dartington did not start marking bases until the 1980s so many items have no etched mark at all. When they did use an etched mark it was usually either a very small stylised letter D (can be hard to spot) or the the name Dartington in equally small etched letters.

It may be worth contacting Dartington Crystal (the current incarnation of the company) and asking if they can help, they have been forthcoming in the past.

In the following photos I believe the first group of four were sherries.

John

[djyee100]

thx to both of you for your replies. There's no mark on the base, I just did a careful check.
My glasses seem thicker in the stem than the pictured Dartington glasses.
I have puzzled over the shape of the glass on the left. It could be a claret glass (sort of). It most closely resembles a cocktail glass.
@glassobsessed, can you suggest which dept or person I should contact at Dartington Crystal to ask about these glasses?

[glassobsessed]

Not really, the contact page from their website: https://www.dartington.co.uk/contacts

I would try the general enquiries address first but I notice there is also an address for USA trade enquiries - may be worth a punt too.

[Paul S.]

have now looked at the various illustrations of 'Sharon' - both cut and plain - in the Eve Thrower and Mark Hill booklet, and it seems that there were perhaps five different shapes made ..........  goblet (possibly the tallest), wine (19.5 cms. - 7.75"), claret, sherry (the smallest) and champagne (this may have been issued in the cut suits only).
I think I'm now tending to agree with John's suggestion that the pieces here are too squat, lack height and stems are too thick when compared to FT 115 in the book  .............   in fact one of the contemporary adverts does draw attention to 'Sharons' slender stems.
My opinion would be that the glass on the left is too short for claret  -  but then again you can drink anything out of anything.

[djyee100]

Hi All, thank you for your help. I contacted Dartington glass, and this was their reply:
"The glasses you have are similar to our Sharon range, however the dimensions are very different. Our glass designer has said that they aren't Dartington glasses..."
They're American knock-offs.

[glassobsessed]

I would not describe them as knock offs. Many glassworks have used similar shapes (Holmegaard Princess and Harrachov for example) and a large decorative bubble in the stem is probably as old as glass blowing itself. Just have not found the right maker yet!

I would concentrate on searching American makers before looking elsewhere simply because of where you found them.

[chopin-liszt]

  I was left a little bemused by the phrase myself. I decided against rewording it as a "tribute" which is just as well, because John explained it far better.

[djyee100]

@glassobsessed, "I would concentrate on searching American makers before looking elsewhere simply because of where you found them..."
Appreciate your good advice. Back then I was a typical budget-conscious student, majoring in art, and I used to cruise through the Design Research store only to look. When I found these pretty items on sale, actually somewhat affordable for me, I bought them. Then I showed them off to all my friends and we drank cheap wine out of them. Oh to be so young again.
I have pulled them out of the box and into the cabinet, and I'm using them again. For better quality wine, TG.