Category Archives: Porcelain

The Vintage Art of Tea

Posted on June 24, 2013 by sarathurston

If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty. ~Japanese Proverb Tea is the world’s most popular beverage, just behind water. And in the United States, it ranks number five – but in recent … Continue reading →

Underneath the plate: Ironstone, Stoneware and Earthenware – Final in a Two-Part Series

Posted on June 6, 2013 by sarathurston

OK, so it said “ironstone.” It did, right on the back of my Mason’s pin dish. But I still thought of it as porcelain. It was a plate! It looked like porcelain, it felt like porcelain – what did I … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiques, Collectibles, Etsy, Majolica, Porcelain, Pottery | Tagged American Stoneware, Bennington Pottery, creamware, delft, delftware, earthenware, faience, ironstone, majolica, Mason's Ironstone, Minton marks, porcelain, pottery, raku, Red Wing pottery, redware, Ridgway, Rosso Antico, salt glazed pottery, semi-porcelain, Shang Dynasty, Spode, Stone china, stoneware, terra cotta, Wedgewood, Wedgwood marks | 2 Comments

Underneath the plate: Porcelain — First of a two-part series about ceramics

Posted on June 4, 2013 by sarathurston

Is that old tea set porcelain or bone china? Whether you’re collecting or selling, it’s worth knowing the difference. Not only is it fun to learn something new, the type of material can affect the price of the item. Disclaimer: While … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiques, Collectibles, Etsy, Fairings, Porcelain, Pottery | Tagged antique porcelain, bone ash, bone china, Bow Porcelain, calcium phosphate, ceramics, child tea set, China, feldspar, fine China, glazed porcelain, hard paste porcelain, Jiangxi, Josiah Spode, Kao-ling, kaolin, Lefton porcelain, porcelain, quartz, semi vitreous porcelain, soft paste porcelain, Spode porcelain, standing rim, Thomas Frye, types of ceramic, unglazed porcelain, vintage porcelain, vitreous porcelain | 3 Comments

The thrill of the hunt: Final in a Three-Part Series, “Why Buy Antiques?”

Posted on May 31, 2013 by sarathurston

You could go to Macy’s or Target and get a complete set of very nice wine glasses in less than an hour. You could get a nice picture for the wall over your sofa from a local framing gallery or … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiques, Collectibles, Etsy, Fairings, Glass, Porcelain, Why Are Antiques Important? | Tagged Antiques, antiques important, bargain household items, collectibles, contemporary decor, cost of antiques, Cottage style, decorating apartment, decorating small spaces, Farber, flea markets, garage sales, home decor, Krome Kraft, love antiques, lusterware, lustreware, micro apartment decorating, mismatched table settings, modern decor, retro decor, saving money, thrift shops, thrift stores, thrifting, value of antiques, vintage glasses, vintage table ware, why buy antiques, why I collect, yard sales | 2 Comments

A World of Merriment: Japanese Bell Figurines

Posted on May 26, 2013 by sarathurston

The information I discover about the items I sell in my Etsy shop never ceases to amaze me. Even the most innocuous items can have a fascinating history! At first glance, these appear to be nothing more than the kind … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiques, Collectibles, Etsy, Porcelain, Why Are Antiques Important? | Tagged 1930s porcelain, antique bell, Buddhism, ceramic bell, child's bell, clay bell, collectible bell, Daruma, Daruma clay bell, dorei, figurine bell, I collect bells, I collect Japanese porcelain, Japanese porcelain, Made in Japan, Meiji, Occupied Japan, old bells, porcelain bell, servant bells, souvenir bell, toy bell, value of figurine bells, value of Made in Japan, vintage bell | 2 Comments

Add Some Luster to Your Life.

Posted on May 20, 2013 by sarathurston

I’ve fallen head over heels in love. See, for most of my life, I took lusterware for granted. It was everywhere in our Janvier Road bungalow and in my childhood home. Then, most of it broke from usage or was … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiques, Collectibles, Etsy, Porcelain, Real or Fake? | Tagged 20th Century porcelain, alchemy, copper lusterware, Etsy, German lusterware, gold lusterware, Janvier Road, Japanese porcelain, Josiah Wedgwood, luster ware, lusterware, lustre ware, lustreware, M Noritake, Made in Japan, mother of pearl porcelain, Nippon, Noritake, Noritake backstamp, pink lusterware, platinum lusterware, shiny porcelain, Silk Road, value of lusterware, vintage porcelain, wreath mark | 4 Comments

When it comes to antiques, put the scissors down.

Posted on May 16, 2013 by sarathurston

And keep the polish and glue on the shelf. An antique dealer friend recently told me a sad tale. Her friend, another dealer, purchased two framed original hummingbird prints by John Gould. This 19th Century English ornithologist was a contemporary … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiques, Art, Coins and Currency, Collectibles, Ephemera, Etsy, First Edition Books, Porcelain, Pottery, Vintage and Antique Furniture, Vintage Toys | Tagged antique doll, antique handbag, antique purse, artist signature, Audobon, bird art, C. Rogers silver, cleaning antiques, composition doll, John Gould, John James Audubon, repairing antiques, restoring antiques, silver polish, sterling silver, value of unsigned art, vintage bird paintings, vintage doll, vintage silverware | 3 Comments

Who Invented the Term “Satsuma Moriage,” Anyway?

Posted on May 13, 2013 by sarathurston

These lamps caused me way more agita than they’re worth. When I opened my Etsy shop, I had to research many of the items from the Janvier Road bungalow to see what they were, and whether they were Etsy material, … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiques, Collectibles, Etsy, Imari, Porcelain, Pottery | Tagged 16th century Japanese pottery, 16th Century Satsuma, crackle glaze, Dragonware, Imari, immortals, Japanese immortals, Japanese porcelain, Japanese pottery, Korean pottery, Made in Japan, moriage, moriage lamp, raised enamel dots, rickshaw figural, satsuma, satsuma lamp, small figural lamp, vintage figural lamp, vintage moriage | 2 Comments

OK, so I thought it was a coaster. It looked like one.

Posted on May 8, 2013 by sarathurston

Back in the late 70s I was standing in Harrods, looking at these cute little porcelain dishes. “Oh,” I thought, “they must be coasters” made to match whichever china pattern one used. I liked them and I needed coasters, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiques, Collectibles, Etsy, Porcelain | Tagged butter dish, Chartreuse, coasters, dipping oil, English porcelain, Harrods, London, magnetic pin dish, Mason's Ironstone, Pin dish, porcelain coaster, sewing accessories, small dish, small porcelain dish, soap dish, Spode, Spode patterns, Trapnell pattern, trinket dish, vintage Spode | 1 Comment

Want “Made in America” Quality? Buy Vintage!

Posted on May 2, 2013 by sarathurston

Americans constantly bemoan the fact that we can’t find quality American-made products anymore. “Everything’s made in China!” we complain. “It just isn’t the same as it used to be.” Thank goodness for vintage items and antiques! Those of us who … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiques, Collectibles, Porcelain, Pottery, Vintage clothing, Vintage Jewelry, Why Are Antiques Important? | Tagged 1970s style, American made, American made clothing, American products, American quality, Baby Beaver shoes, BoHo style, buy American, Buy U.S.A., Edwin Knowles, Farber Brothers, hippie style, Krome Kraft, made in America, Made in the U.S.A., Made in the USA, multicolored wine glasses, Retro style, Retro wine glasses, union label, vintage baby clothes, vintage clothing | 6 Comments