Fostoria Glass Navarre Etched Crystal Large Claret Wine Goblet

One of the reasons I like vintage etched stemware so much is the sheer variety.  Contemporary crystal might come in a few shapes – a couple goblets, maybe a champagne flute or tumbler – and the older patterns had special pieces for each type of wine or iced drink.

Take Fostoria’s Navarre etched crystal, made right up until 1982.  According to my books Fostoria etched Navarre on:

• Water goblet.  This stem is 7 5/8 inches tall and holds 10 ounces
• Wine goblet.  Wine goblets in the older glass were smaller than we are accustomed to seeing and this one is typical.  It is 5 1/4 inches tall and holds a little over 3 ounces
• Claret wine
• Large claret wine which is pictured
• Sherry.  Sherry stems have wide mouths and straight sides; the Navarre sherry looks like a triangle with a stem.
• Magnum.  This is an interesting piece with a round bulbous bowl that holds 16 ounces
• Brandy inhaler
• Saucer champagne, also referred to as a tall champagne sherbet
• Sherbet.  People use sherbets for everything from cocktails to fruit cups to sherbets.
• Continental champagne.  We would call this a champagne flute toda
• Cocktail, aka liquour cocktail
• Cordial.  Cordials hold 1 ounce and are tiny little things
• Plus juice tumblers, footed tumblers, footed ice tea tumblers, oyster cocktails and flat highball tumblers and fat short double old fashioneds

You wonder why they felt a need for three stems loosely called “wine goblets”.  The large claret wine, which is pictured, is the size we would use for wine at dinner.  The regular claret and wine stems are middle and baby stems.

• Large claret = 6 1/2 inches and 6 ounces.
• Claret = 6 inches and 4 1/2 ounces
• Wine =  5 1/4 inches and 3 ounces

In my mind the large claret and water goblets are the most useful sizes if you have limited room and want to have matching stemware.  Add the footed tumblers and then the cordials or small wines for special apertifs.  If you enjoy wine tasting parties then you’ll like the smaller wine or claret sizes to have a taste without having too much.

You don’t need a full set to set a beautiful table, but isn’t it fun to think of having a set of this exquisite stemware and using just the right piece at the right time?

Fostoria Glass Meadow Rose Etched Crystal Tumbler

If you have a wedding gift to buy you know how difficult it can be to find something meaningful that the couple will enjoy yet is different from everyone else’s present.  One solution is to give gifts of vintage stemware.

Couples may not think to put vintage patterns on their wish lists, but many are requesting dinnerware and china.  With the huge variety of old stemware to choose you’re bound to find a design this is appealing and will blend well with their dinnerware choices.  And now with the internet you can find enough pieces and be confident the new owners will be able to find more stems or accessory pieces for years to come.

As an example why vintage stemware is such a good choice take a look at the tumbler shown.  Isn’t this a pretty design?  It’s Meadow Rose from Fostoria Glass.  You cannot find such a beautiful pattern or such quality etching or crystal today.

If you expect to buy more gifts for the couple down the road, Christmas or wedding anniversary times, then selecting a pattern like Meadow Rose instantly gives you an ongoing easy gift idea.  Fostoria made a complete line of stemware including goblets, sherbets, several sizes of tumblers, champagnes, cocktails.  And if you get tired of buying stemware, then consider candle holders, bowls, relish tray or more.

If you like this idea then check our vintage stemware at Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass.

Etched Drops & Bands Etched Vintage Crystal Stemware

I wish I knew who did this.  It’s a simple shape with straight stem and rounded bowl with straight sides.  The etch – or sand blast – is a solid band with joined lines that have little dangles hanging down.

So who did it?  One possibility is Tiffin.  They made a stem that Gene Florence called Tiara and the Replacements book Tiffin is Forever A Stemware Identification Guide calls SB 602, sand blast.  The top design just above the solid band on the Tiffin picture shows linked circles and mine is plain above the solid band.

OK, what other possibilities?

Another idea is Seneca number 283, which is similar but also not quite a perfect match.  Seneca 283 has a thin double line above the band.

Anyone else have an idea?  These are obviously old, my guess is they go back to around World War 2 based on the style of the etch and the shape of the glass.  They are reasonably good quality but not high end.

These were most likely meant to be wine goblets but they are small for our contemporary tables where we tend to use goblets that hold 8 ounces or more for wine.  Today these would be perfect for an apertif or after dinner brandy.

Back in the era when there were many makers of fine quality glass in eastern United States the companies often had similar wares, similar designs, similar colors, similar etches.  This is partly because good ideas travel but also the artisans moved around.  Companies traded molds.  Other companies specialized in decorations and made no glass but decorated other makers’ ware.  These situations make it difficult to identify some pieces.

That’s ok though.  We can enjoy the glass even when we can’t call it by name.

Central Glass Crystal Leaf & Border Etched Champagne

Every time I see this I imagine being with my sweetheart on a moonlit beach drinking champagne.  There is something about vintage crystal stemware that is just so romantic.

This particular piece is especially enticing since it rings like a bell when you touch it and the etched design is unusual and such a superb combination of geometry and graceful movement.  You can see the Greek key – like design around the border and make out the fan shaped leaves around the base.

Central Glass, which made this Leaf and Border pattern, made several designs that used the entire base of the bowl.  Below I’m showing Floral Trumpets which has the majority of the etch on the bottom of the bowl barely peeping into the side.

Ah well.  It’s winter here and a bit nippy for champagne on the beach.  Maybe that fireplace will work…

Central Glass Crystal Floral Trumpets Etched Champagne Sherbet

Fostoria Glass Chintz Etched Crystal Tall Water Goblet

We always have Fostoria’s Chintz etched glass in stock.  And I have several of the tall water goblets.  So why didn’t I sell any to Christmas shoppers this year?  Because they were in a box and not listed.  Oh my.  I sold out of a listing earlier and forgot to add more inventory.

Now that I’ve shown you how not to get this popular pattern out for others to enjoy, let’s look at this vintage stemware.  Fostoria made this from 1940 to 1973 and only in crystal.  You can immediately recognize this design because the etch looks spiky.  The rose stems trail around the goblet bowl and they have thorns and pointy leaves.  There is no center medallion and it isn’t symmetrical.

Fostoria made two sizes of water goblets, the taller one like this shown here that is 7 5/8 inches tall and holds about 10 ounces filled to the brim, and a shorter one that is 6 inches tall.  Think of the shorter goblet as a stemmed tumbler.  It doesn’t look as goblet-y as this tall on on the long elegant stem.

I’m aware of 10 different stemware sizes in Chintz.  There are the two water goblets, a claret wine which looks like the water but is only about 5 1/2 inches tall, the ice tea, which holds the most and has no stem beyond a chunky ball with wafers, two sizes of sherbets, a cocktail which looks like a sherbet but slightly narrower and 5 inches tall, a juice glass, oyster cocktail, and of course, a cordial.  As usual, the cordial is the most expensive, about $80 each.

Fostoria’s Chintz is relatively available and moderately priced.  We have the water goblets listed at $50 each with free shipping.

If you are looking for a vintage etched stemware pattern, consider Fostoria’s Chintz etch.  It’s got a lot of looks and goes very well with contemporary dinnerware.

Bryce Glass Etched Crystal Water Goblet

Bryce Glass isn’t the best known vintage elegant glass maker and that’s a shame.  Some of Bryce’s etched patterns are wonderful and I buy them when I can.

This particular design doesn’t seem to have a name.  I’ve seen it called Bryce, Paige and line 854, but none of these describe the flowing lines and graceful swoops and swags that are placed in pairs around the rim.  The shape is good too, and I especially like the little extra curve near the base of the bowl.  It looks great with the lady leg stem.

Bryce was known for their stemware with beautiful etched patterns and simple lines.

You may never have heard of Bryce Glass but I bet you have heard of Lenox Crystal.  Lenox took over Bryce in 1965 and the production plant in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania is still there.  Lenox continues to make quality stemware.

Amethyst & Crystal Flair Twisted Stem Water Goblet

Isn’t this unusual?  Yesterday I showed off sherbets that would be perfect for Christmas with green bowls and clear stems.  Today we have another two-color goblet, this time with a twisted amethyst stem and clear crystal bowl.  It is much prettier in person than in the photo because you can’t see how the stem twists at the top to form little petals that clasp the bowl.

I’m not normally fond of purple but amethyst glass can be special.  This is a medium light shade of purple, true amethyst color.  If this were all amethyst all over I don’t think it would be pretty at all; the crystal bowl sets it off.

These came in a set of six; sad to say two of the six have small rim nicks.  I just finished listing these as a set of four with two bonus nicked goblets included for free.   I hope someone finds these who enjoys unusual quality glassware and wants stems that show off their good taste.

Tiffin Glass Killarney Green and Crystal Champagne Sherbet

This is stemware week here and we’re getting in the Christmas mood  seeing our neighbors’ decorations and the gift catalogs in the mailbox.  To honor the upcoming Christmas parties and family visits, let’s look at a set of stemware that would be perfect for cocktails and even ice cream.

This is the Killarney champagne sherbet from Tiffin Glass.  Tiffin was located in northern Ohio and was part of US Glass, known as Factory R.   The company went out of business and reopened as Tiffin Art Glass Company in 1962.  Tiffin Art Glass produced this Killarney stem in 1966.

When I researched this I found several other Tiffin patterns called “Killarney”.  All had green bowl with crystal stem and foot but the shapes varied quite a bit.  This is shape number 17394 and it’s distinctive with the oval wafer in the center of the stem.

The bowl is quite deep on this, which would make it fun for drinks where you need a deep shape and of course it would be great to serve fruit or sherbet.

I hope this gives  you some ideas for your Christmas decorating or entertaining friends this winter.

Fostoria Glass Garland Etched Crystal Wine Vintage Stemware

Isn’t this a cute stem?  The etch has two circular wreaths  connected with swags to the floral design you can see facing you.  I included a second photo below to show the wreath motif.  Now, one thing to be aware of with vintage stemware is the size.

This one is technically called a “wine” but it is a lot smaller than the goblets you will buy today for wine.  Back in the day when these were made – 1920s – people tended to serve wine with dinner and might serve more than one selection.  Thus the individual serving sizes were smaller.  This one is 5 1/4 inches tall and holds only a little over 2 ounces.  Today this is the size we use for small liqueurs or cocktails.

So back to our question.  Why would you enjoy this?  Simple.  This etch is beautiful, the shape is classic and simple, and no one of your friends will have this.  You won’t have to worry about going to someone else’s home and finding the same glasses on the table.

We have quite a few patterns in vintage stemware, from Fostoria, Cambridge and others.  This is stemware week and I’m going to show off a few designs for you over the next few days.

Fostoria Glass Garland Etched Wine Goblet

Heisey Glass Danish Princess Cut Crystal Ice Tea Tumbler

Reason #9 to collect depression glass is that it is stylish!  Here is a super example from Heisey Glass, a footed tumbler is gorgeous cut crystal.  Vintage stemware can’t be beat.  It’s going to make your table look different than anyone else’s and it’s going to give you a sense of style.

Face it.  The designers from 50 years ago had real flair.  They were surrounded by a different world than we live in and that gave them a style that we don’t see today.

Vintage crystal stemware is one area you can not only get top quality glass that is stylish and useful, but in many cases is less expensive than contemporary glass of equal quality.  The footed tumbler shown is Danish Princess by Heisey.  When Heisey was in business they were anything but cheap.  They produced high quality glass in patterns like Danish Princess that took handwork by skilled artisans.  Today?  This tumbler is listed for $39.99 in our store, certainly less than a comparable Waterford or other good quality crystal.

You don’t want to pick a pattern just based on price, but it is refreshing to know that you can have stylish quality vintage stemware without selling your firstborn!

Note from Kathy:   We sold this particular ice tea tumbler almost immediately after this post.  The links take you to other vintage stemware.