Sunday, January 11, 2015

Little Pink Roses

Mean While Back At The Store: 



In this case its pink POPPYs 
 I shared this on Face Book a few days ago and wanted to feature it here. Also I wanted to elaborate on it some more.  When I worked at Graves Jewelers many years ago, at least once a month, some woman would come in and ask Miss Graves what her china pattern was. Usually without a hesitation, Miss Graves knew and often could remember several generations of who had what china patterns. If it was someone who didn't frequent the store often, Miss graves would ask what the pattern looked like.  Without a doubt, they always said, "Well, I'm not sure, but it had little pink roses on it."  So, it was a running joke, for all the years that I worked up there, when someone would ask what a china pattern looked like and we'd say, "It had little pink roses on it." It was funny to us as most china patterns had some form or little pink roses on it.  Fun times. 

I'm waiting of a lady to come in for me to identify her Haviland pattern and it set me to thinking. Bet you didn't know this? At one time porcelain manufacturers did really crazy things with their patterns. Lets say that there is a pattern called "Queen's Garden." Its heavy with pink & yellow flowers and a brown trellis. That's Queen's Garden. Then there might be Queen's Garden with BLUE & RED flowers & brown trellis. Lets call that QG1 ( Queen's Garden 1.) Then comes QG2 with Purple & Green flowers and a GRAY trellis. Then there might be QG3, QG4, QG5 and on and on. NOW, couple this with shapes. Queen's Garden might be in the Louis XIV shape or the Princess Louise shape or the St. Augustine shape and on and on. Cups can also vary within the SAME shape. All the time bouncing and switching back and forth. So you might find YOUR pattern, but you'll discover that the shape is wrong. There can be just 1000's of combos. Don't even gt me started on the hand painted or commissioned pieces.  Believe me,  if your great Aunt Mildred, way back in 1900, painted a chocolate set. That's it,  its the only one.  When Mary McKercher had her Havilnad booths in the store twelve or thirteen years ago. She hated the hand painted porcelains and refused to carry them.  Reason??   You couldn't match them.  Each hand painted piece is a one of a kind original. For most it doesn't matter too much, but for the scholar or serious collector, it can make you pull your hair out.

3 comments:

  1. Do you ever have someone ask you for the book with the green cover?

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  2. For me it always helps when the manufacturer puts the name of the pattern on the back. Did you know HLC didn't mark many of their hollowware pieces?

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  3. I get the cover question a lot and often I Can help. lol. I didn't know that about HLC hollowware pieces.

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