Royal Lace is a beautiful pattern that has the best elements of depression glass – gorgeous colors, lovely design, an array of interesting shapes and pieces. Hazel Atlas made this pattern from 1934 to 1941 in pink, green, clear and some cobalt blue. The cobalt blue didn’t come out until about 1938 while green, pink and clear were made earlier. There were a few pieces of amethyst made too, but these are rare.
Picture shows the clear grill plate, green cup, pink rolled rim candle holder and cobalt blue sherbet plate. You can see the pretty design combines panels of lacy flowers and scrolls with molded swags. From a distance Royal Lace looks like fine etched glass, especially in the clear, but it is mold etched which allowed for mass production with no handmade steps.
The blue is less common and more expensive than the other colors, with clear being the most affordable. Of the pieces shown here, the rolled rim candle holder is the prize. This is scarce and beautiful. You can imagine this with tapers this Christmas – pure elegance.
You can see the rims on the plates have a sharp drop off and this can get nicked. I’ve not seen as many problems with Royal Lace as with some other patterns, but you will want to be careful and check those inner rims for rough spots. Other than that this pattern is not particularly susceptible to damage. The design tends to hide wear, always a plus for plates.
There have been a few pieces of deep blue reproduced, the tumbler, juice glass and cookie jar, but my book describes these as easy to spot. The reproduction blue is much darker and the pattern is off. If you like this then please be sure to pick up a book on depression glass and get familiar with the pieces and the tips to spot a reproduction. I recommend the Collectors Encyclopedia of Depression Glass,19th Edition (Collectors Encyclopedia of Depression Glass) which is the book I use spot reproductions. Your library may have this.