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ART GLASS CUPS & SAUCERS, ELUSIVE WORKS OF ART BY SUSAN AND
JIM HARRAN OF THE JOURNAL OF ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES

Beautiful art glass cups and saucers made by the leading glass factories
in Europe and the United States are highly desirable. The hunt is exciting,
and the rewards are great when that elusive glass cup and saucer set is found.

The finest glass artists decorated the elaborate art glass cups and saucers
with enamel, gilt, overlays, and engravings. Opalescent, satin and cameo
decorated glass are favorites with collectors.

DESIRABLE MAKERS AND THEIR GLASS:
Bohemian glass is a complex technique involving etching, overlaying and
flashing popular from the 1820's to the end of the 19th century. Look
for glass by Ludwig Moser and Meyr's Neffe.

Venetian glass is usually colored, very thin walled fragile glass with
applied flowers and fruits with embedded gold dust. Paola Venini, and
The Barovier & Toso Studios are two desirable glassmakers.

French glass includes the molded clear and frosted glass of Lalique and
the cut and amberina of Baccarat-Saint Anne.

At the turn of the century Art Nouveau glass, originally from France, became
fashionable in the United States. The most prominent American makers were
Tiffany and Steuben.

Carnival glass, colored pressed glass with an iridescent finish, copied
the expensive Art Nouveau glass. Northwood, Fenton, Dugan, Imperial and
Millersburg made over 1,000 patterns. Color is the most important factor
in pricing.

During 1925-1940 American glassmakers produced inexpensive clear and pastel
glass often given away while a higher quality glassware was made by
Cambridge, Fosteria, and Heisey.

There are many reproductions.

Patricia Dean, in The Official Identification Guide to Glass Ware, offers these suggestions:

1. Buy from a knowledgeable and reputable dealer.
2. Study the type of glass that interests you. Learn about it. See it in
museums, antique shows and shops.
3. Observe signs of age such as wear and random scratches.
4. Beware of too low prices. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
5. Learn the correct colors on the early pieces as colors are usually
different on reproductions and reissues.

To read this entire article, with 11 color illustrations and sample
prices of art glass cups and saucers, please visit The Journal of Antiques
and Collectibles: Your source for information on collecting at www.journalofantiques.com.

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MAKE-AN-OFFER A BOOMING SUCCESS

We've been overwhelmed with the positive response to our brand new
Make-An-Offer Program which allows buyers to give and receive real time
feedback as to whether or not an offer is accepted. Shop owners are
confirming that the Make-An-Offer Program greatly streamlines their
ability to maintain their Ruby Lane shop. Instead of having to manually
counter an offer, they input their specific sales criteria for each item
as they input it into their shop. And buyers are really using the program.

Sales have increased dramatically since the program's inception only a
month ago. Why not give it a try. Just look for Make Offer on item
listings found in Ruby Lane's Global Search.

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ABOUT RUBY LANE

We are one of the largest and hottest Internet-only web sites for collectors.
We have a community of over 500 shops from all over the world offering both
fine antiques and collectibles. Our site indexes an inventory of over 2
million items in over 2,000 categories. We also feature a Global Search
Engine, which searches all inventories in a particular category from Ruby Lane
shops and various online auctions and malls. Visit us at www.rubylane.com

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CONTACT US:

If you have a suggestion on how Ruby Lane can better serve you, or if you have
an article you would like to submit or a subject you would like us to cover in
an upcoming issue, contact us at pasttimes@rubylane.com

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