By Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson
Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Helaine and Joe: I was born in 1934 and remember from a very young age this set on the dining room buffet in my grandparents' home. I am very curious about it and hope you can tell me about its origins. — M.T.C., Geneseo, Ill.
Dear M.T.C.: Some questions are easier to answer than others, and this one turned out to be much more of a problem than we initially supposed. Knowing that this very attractive water set was opalescent pressed glass from the turn of the 20th century was easy, but finding more answers took perseverance and a lot of reference books.
The first step was to find the pattern name, and that was relatively simple. It is most commonly called "Jewel and Flower" but is also referred to as "Beaded Flower and Leaf."
The next step was to find out who the manufacturer was, and that's where the primary difficulty arose. Finally, after searching high and low, we found a reference in one of William Heacock's books that said this piece was "undoubtedly Northwood."
Unfortunately, the word "undoubtedly" set off alarm bells in our heads. We thought this set looked like a Northwood product when we first saw the pictures, but we felt there may be some questions in some scholars' minds as to whether this is "gospel truth" or just a good working theory because we could not find this attribution elsewhere.
The Northwood Co. was founded by Harry Northwood at Indiana, Penn., in 1896. In 1899 he joined the National Glass Co. but broke away in 1901. He bought the Hobbs, Brockunier plant in Wheeling, W.Va., in 1902 and in 1904 he leased out his old Indiana, Pa., factory, which then became the Dugan Glass Co.
It is thought that the "Jewel and Flower" pattern was made circa 1905. If indeed it was made by Northwood, it would have been made in the Wheeling, W.Va., facility. Even if Northwood did not make this set, this date is about right for the time of manufacture, so this set predates M.T.C. and her earliest memories by more than 30 years.
It should be noted here that opalescent glass, which is a term that refers to the milky white clouding found in a variety of glass, originated in England in the 1870s but was not widely made in this country until the turn of the 20th century. This opalescence was achieved by adding arsenic to the glass batch ( but those who drink from these vessels are not in danger of being poisoned).
"Jewel and Flower" usually can be found in berry sets, table sets (i.e. butter dishes, spooners, celeries, etc.), cruets, salt shakers and water sets in white (clear) or in blue or yellow opalescent glass lavishly trimmed in gold. It is a mid-range pattern, and the insurance replacement value of this set is between $500 and $650.
(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of the Price It Yourself (HarperResource, $19.95). Questions can by mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.)
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