As you might have noticed, we have fallen in love with Venetian/Murano glass.  Venetians have a very rich history of creating some of the most treasured glass pieces and techniques in the history of the world.  The island of Murano became the center of Venetian glass making in the year 1291 when officials ordered all of the glass makers out of Venice as a precaution so the furnaces would not start catastrophic fires.&

A common error made by individuals new to handling decorated porcelain is mistaking transfer printing for hand painting. A transfer print can fool the untrained eye, mistaking it for hand painting.

The Boston and Sandwich Glassworks Company of Sandwich, Massachusetts, had its beginnings in the mid-1820’s. Deming Jarves, the founder of the company, convinced skilled glass artisans - individuals respected as glass producers from all over the world including England and Bohemia, to come and work for his company. This ensured that Boston and Sandwich Glassworks would be able to produce the finest quality of glass articles.

We asked Ruby Lane shop owners to tell us what their current favorite antique or vintage collectible is, and why. We wanted to know what they were going crazy for lately. Here are the responses we received:

Church Street Station
http://www.rubylane.com/shops/churchstreetstation

 Jeanne Adwani – Sun in Capricorn, Moon in Aquarius, and years of indulgence in the Metaphysical sciences; story telling via the Tarot, and numerology… I bring this astrology column to you for your enjoyment. True to my Sun and my Moon, I am a resourceful recycler, with an eye for the unique and creative.  In this column, consider either your Sun or your Moon sign when reading them.

Very often customers at my brick and mortar shop will ask me how I know the date range of an item of porcelain or a piece of glass. The number one thing to remember when dating pieces is to look for the country of origin located in the area where the piece is marked. The McKinley Tariff Act of 1891 had a clause attached to it that required countries to begin placing the country of manufacture on each item made.

I love vintage textiles. From childhood I have always been drawn to textiles. In fact, my daughter does not like to go with me to a fabric store because according to her I “stay too long.” She once told me, “Mom, I don’t know what happens to you, but when we go into a fabric shop, you go into a trance”.