Month: November 2018

What are some different types of glassware that you might run across?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I am always amazed by the different colors, shapes and patterns that I run across on glassware—you never know what you will see.  Here are some of the types of glassware that you might run across when you are out shopping:

Milk glass—this is an opaque milk white colored glass that can be blown or pressed into a wide variety of shapes and sizes.  There have been several different colors of this type of glass made over the years—this includes blue, pink, yellow, brown,black, and the white that led to its name.

Slag glass—this is a collectors’ name for an opaque pressed glass that has colored streaks in it. The streaks are usually white or even a cream color. One way to achieve these colors is to add pulverized silicate slag from iron smelting works to the glass.

Cased glass—this is a type of glass that consists of two or more fused layers of different colors.  This type of glass is often decorated by cutting away glass so that the inner layers show through.

This is just a handful of what you might run across.  What types of glassware have you run across?

Wisdom Lane Antiques Store Highlight: Joe Mattson Signed Art Glass Vase

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Functional items, gift ideas, Glassware, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

This Wisdom Lane Antiques Store Highlight features a terrific art glass vase that was made by Joe Mattson.

Joe Mattson

Joe Mattson is a self-taught glass artist, and he began working in glass in 1976.

The shapes, forms and even the patterns he makes in glass are like those of the Art Nouveau era from the early 1900s.  The items that Joe Mattson makes in glass are primarily one-of-a-kind pieces that he calls contemporary traditional glass.

joe mattson bottom

This terrific one-of-a-kind handmade vase has a white milk glass background with an orange zig zag pattern on it.  Not only that, it also has a flared top edge and a great hour glass shape to it.  I also like the fact that the top is not too small to where you can show off a good-sized bouquet of flowers in it.

joe mattson top

You can see this terrific signed Joe Mattson vase in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check it out!

What are some of the different types of pottery that is used in the kitchen?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Kitchen Items, Pottery, Tips for the beginner1 Comment

When you start to go to auctions, antique malls or even flea markets, you will hear several different names for pottery that is used in a kitchen.  Here’s a couple of the names that you will run across:

Bone china—this is a type of porcelain that contains bone ash in it. Bone china is the strongest of the porcelain or china ceramics, having very high mechanical and physical strength and chip resistance, and it is also known for its high levels of whiteness and translucency.

Stoneware—this is made from unrefined clay.  This type of clay has a grittier texture than porcelain due to its higher sand content.  This is fired at a high temperature (2185 degrees Fahrenheit), and the end result is a piece of pottery that is strong and chip resistant.  This type of pottery is often used to make mugs and baking dishes, and it can also be safely heated in ovens.  Stoneware is popular for dinnerware because it’s durable—and it is also less expensive than porcelain.

Earthenware—this is fired at 1915 degrees Fahrenheit, which is quite a bit lower than stoneware.  The result of this is porous pottery that is not nearly as strong as either stoneware or porcelain.  A lot of the time, earthenware can be strengthened by glazing (glazing hardens the surface, making it non-porous and it allows earthenware pieces to be used for cooking).  This is most commonly used to make pots for plants—terracotta is a type of earthenware pottery.

Porcelain—this is made from the finest quality of white clay. It is fired at a very high temperature (2300 degrees Fahrenheit)—this results in a hard, strong and translucent piece of pottery.  This type of pottery is usually white with a very smooth surface.  It is non-stick, non-porous and even dishwasher safe that makes porcelain the safest pottery to use in a kitchen. High-end dinnerware is commonly made of porcelain, and it is the most expensive kind of pottery.

This is some of the more common names that you will run across.  What are some of the names that you have run across?

What are some of the different types of marbles that you will run across?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Glassware, Tips for the beginner, Toys, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!, Vocabulary WordsLeave a comment

Marbles are a fun area to collect with a wide variety of them to find.  There are so many different names out there, it can make your head spin.  Here’s a few of the names that you will run across:

Bennington—this type of marble got their name from Bennington pottery in Vermont.  They made some spotted pottery that looks like this type of marble.  Bennington marbles have a blue or even brown glaze, and the marbles aren’t completely round.  This is because Benningtons have a circular unglazed spot on them that is a result from it touching another marble while still wet with glaze.

Steelies—this is actually a ball bearing that is being used as a marble.

Peewees—these are very small marbles that measure less than a 1/2 inch wide.

Onion Skins—these are End of the day marbles in which colored flecks of glass are stretched while these are being made.  This is so the core has may swirls that resembles an onion.

This is just a handful of the names that you will run across when you are dealing with marbles.  What names have you run across?