Topic: Does this star cut crystal have a name please?

[createdbear]

Hello,
Could someone please tell me if this pattern of crystal star has a name? It is a cut star surrounded by a larger star. The small star is not polished but the out star is polished. It is the design on a decanter. Doing a bit of research, I've come across wheel star cut, pinwheel, hobnail star, Brunswick star. Can someone help me please. Thank you members, in advance.

[Paul S.]

Hi - I'd suggest the inner - cut star - is a Brunswick Star  -  sometimes wrongly called a hobstar, but since it lacks the central solid hobnail area then according to the images in the attached link, Brunswick it should be.        A pinwheel is quite different, and has an almost Catherine Wheel appearance - almost as though it's revolving while you're looking at it.     These cut patterns are associated with the American Brilliant Period (ABP), though they most likely originated with the Bohemian (European) cutters in the C19       The outer larger star may well also be based on the Brunswick pattern and when you say polished it might equally be fire polishing or just the effect of being mould made  -  I could be wrong but the larger star doesn't appear to be created by cutting.                    https://www.brilliantglass.com/hobstars-and-brunswick-stars/

Difficult to sell from your picture, but it appears that the remainder of the bottle is a mould made/blown.                     These cut designs are very different from the plain star cutting we see on the undersides of decanters etc.

This in no way is to suggest your decanter is from the States  -  almost certainly eastern European in origin, and probably quite modern.     However, it's good to see these historic cut designs and good to learn their names etc.           

[createdbear]

Paul. thank you so much for your help. I'd ruled out the pinwheel...I know those and they appear on these modern Eastern European pieces. It is a rather lovely decanter...I will pop a pic of it on here. Thanks again.

[Paul S.]

Decanters can become very addictive - they are appealing in every possible way.   Do you have McConnell's 'Decanter' book? - worth getting even if you have to save the pennies for a while.   
Look forward to seeing pix of this one.

[createdbear]

Hello Paul,
Firstly, I don't have the book but it sounds like an invaluable resource.
I've popped another 3 pics of the decanter on here as you said you'd like to see it. W£hat do you think. I thin you are right that this is moulded as it doesn't have that, shall we say, sharpness. Anyway, do please take a look. Thank you.

[Paul S.]

thanks for the pix and agree that apart from the small amount of cutting, this is a moulded piece.         Mould produced bottles do in fact go way back into the C18, many of them often copying the decoration seen on cut decanters.            The body shape on this one is unusual - something of a cross between a ships decanter, a mel (Scottish probably) and a variant on the shaft and globe - it's certainly not a common shape, but perhaps easy to manufacture.            The long shoulder slope from the neck to the wide waist is distinctive, though this piece is definitely modern - which means almost certainly you will have the stopper that it left the factory with.           Non-original stoppers are a pain, especially if like some of us you have a habit of buying in charity shops and bric-a-brac outlets  -  they're easy to spot due to the fact that they wobble in the neck of the body - you might try to re-negotiate the price if you sound knowledgeable and point out the bottle and stopper are 'a marriage'.       
The stopper here is probably some minor variation on the mushroom shape.                   Try to avoid bottles that are cloudy on the inside  -  this can sometimes be removed with the use of Magic Balls - copper coated steel balls that are placed into the decanter, together with a little water and perhaps some cerium or aluminium oxide, but results are unpredictable.   Stand and shake for a while, then removing all the moisture from some decanters can be long winded job.                You might now want to look out for a stopper and bottle both with the same matching No.  -  there are a lot of pre-owned decanters out there, too many with the wrong stopper probably, but a massive choice.           Look at colour of the glass  -  too white and it will almost certainly be modern  -  a dull leaden colour may well indicate some decent age.                      and most importantly  -  buy what you like, always the best policy.   best of luck.