We’ve been posting about glassware made after the Great Depression, glass from the 1940s through the 1970s or so. Way back when we first sold glass Dave and I want to an auction in Saginaw and hauled home a huge set of Westmoreland Beaded Edge with fruit decorations. (Unfortunately I deleted all my old photos and have to link to photos at Replacements.)
Beaded Edge is white, opaque milk glass with plain centers and a row of small beads around the rim. Link to cup and saucer.
You can get dessert plates with birds or flowers too. Dessert Plates with Birds
Westmoreland made Beaded Edge from the late 1930s through the 1950s and I believe they themselves decorated many of the pieces we find. Beaded Edge with fruit decoration is a full dinner set with 4 sizes of plates, bread and butter, salad, luncheon and dinner. Dinner Plate with Cherry
Plus there are cups, saucers, salt and pepper, and small sauce dishes.
Westmoreland made an oval serving platter and a round torte plate but no real serving bowl. You should look for two different styles of creamers and sugars, one is this footed style. Footed Creamer with Strawberries
The other creamer and sugar set is this spiffy square shape. Square Creamer with Lid
Some of the most interesting pieces are the tumblers and sherbets. No pitcher, but the tumblers are quite attractive and have the beads lower down on the sides, not around the rim.
We got a set of frosted fruit-decorated tumblers, made by Federal Glass, in the same lot as the Beaded Edge. These made a great go-with, although not part of the pattern. These frosted glasses were wonderful; perhaps you can find similar tumblers at antique malls.
You can imagine how stunning a complete table setting of Beaded Edge would be. All those different fruit designs – strawberries, raspberries, grapes, apples, cherries, plums, peaches, pears – mixed or matched in individual place settings. This is milk glass, so it looks more like typical, contemporary dinnerware, china or Corelle, than do many depression or elegant glass patterns.
Next posts we’ll go over some points to know when you purchase Beaded Edge and look at availability and prices.