Thistle Etched Elegant Stemware - Fry Glass

Fry was one of several elegant glass makers which had a thistle etching. This is the Fry Glass Thistle etch, decoration number 15.

Thistles are popular motifs, possibly due to their prevalence in Scottish designs. Fry's is particularly nice with the flowing thistle leaves and the delicate up swept stems with thistle buds surrounding a central blossom.

Fry made some very beautiful glass with rich, complex etches and quality crystal. Although they are not so well known as Fostoria or Cambridge, many people recognize the quality and cherish their glass.

Central Glass Thistle Etch Stems

I'm really excited about these stems. They are Thistle etch by Central Glass. Central went out of business towards the end of the depression, 1939, and Imperial Glass acquired some of their molds. Central is best known for their Morgan etch, which has a fairy on a swing, Harding etch, which has two griffins, Balda etch and Frances pressed pattern. They made many other etches besides these.

The etch shown here is Thistle which is intricate. This is a plate etching, where the glass was coated with wax, the design applied by tracing through the wax and then the piece was immersed in acid. The acid dissolved the glass where the design had been applied through the wax. It is called a plate etching because the design was on sheets of paper that were carefully laid onto the surface. It took skill and hand work to position these just right.

There are other Thistle patterns by makers such as Tiffin. Central's is distinctive with the thistle in the center pointing down. Our stem here is the 4 inch tall cocktail and will be listed later this week.