Dinnerware Diary

American Treasures - Metlox, Fostoria, and Oneida

Hello from Ross and Pinot the Blog Dog!  Recently we published an article on Japanese tableware manufacturers and patterns.  Here's some information on historically important U.S. companies and patterns.  Have any china, crystal, silver, or collectibles of particular interest?  Let us know!  We'll see what we can find out for you.

With his bright red, green, and yellow feathers, there's no doubt who's top rooster in the Metlox California Provincial pattern!  Metlox Pottery - also known as Metlox-Poppytrail and Metlox-Poppytrail-Vernonware - is a highly regarded American tableware company that traces its origins to 1921, when T.C. Prouty and his son, Willis, opened "Proutyline Products" in Hermosa Beach, CA.  The company produced architectural tiles using a patented tile body made primarily of talc.  In 1927 the Proutys introduced Metlox as a division - the name "Metlox" combined the words "metal" and "oxide."  Now located in Manhattan Beach, the company added big outdoor ceramic signs to its product mix.  These signs were popular with theaters featuring the works of the burgeoning California film industry.  When demand for the signs dwindled during the Great Depression, Metlox introduced it first line of dinnerware in 1932, continuing production until it closed its doors in 1989.

California Provincial by Metlox.

Fostoria Jamestown-Green is green, pressed glass with a concave, squarish bowl that features swirling, spiral panels on the side. The twist stem echoes the shapes of the panels on the bowl, and the foot is round. Even with its square shape, the curves in this pattern are organic and elegant. Founded in Fostoria, OH, in 1887, the Fostoria company relocated to Moundsville, WV, shortly thereafter, because of that region's abundant natural resources. Jamestown-Green was one of four colors in the Jamestown pattern to be released in 1958 - green, amber, blue, and clear - additions to a line of popular colored-glass stemware introduced by Fostoria in the 1920s. After meeting decades of stiff foreign competition with classic designs and innovative glass-making methods, Fostoria operations were shut down by its parent company, Lancaster Colony, in 1983. Fostoria glass is highly sought-after by collectors today.

Jamestown-Green by Fostoria.

Oneida Paul Revere satin-finish stainless steel bears the name of the famous patriot who made his living as a silversmith, and features a design reminiscent of the American Colonial period.  One of our most popular Oneida flatware patterns, with more than 8,000 individuals having registered their interest, Paul Revere was introduced in 1959.  A production run of 50 years and counting, with quite a few changes in culture and style along the way - is testimony to the quality of Oneida!  The company grew out of the original Oneida Community founded in upstate New York by John Humphrey Noyes more than 150 years ago. The Christian communal society was based upon the principles of individual self-perfection and shared property. Women bore the same duties as men, and individual responsibilities varied daily. Many inventions were developed at Oneida - including some of the world's most recognizable and beautifully designed flatware.

Paul Revere stainless by Oneida.

Inventory staff in our warehouse at Replacements, Ltd. have been busy checking in some great new items for the fall season - especially for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Pinot and I will be doing some research so we can pass along information to you.

Meanwhile, be sure to visit our web site, or e-mail Pinot or me at ross.howell@replacements.com.  Talk to you again soon.

Ross Howell 

Japanese Tableware Design Artistry

Hello from Pinot the Blog Dog!

Our Replacements, Ltd. showroom staff has already started preparations for our big Sidewalk Sale September 18-20, so if you live nearby (we're located just outside Greensboro, NC) or your travels to the beach or mountains are bringing you through, be sure to mark your calendars.  We'll have great deals on special sets from Lenox China and Johnson Brothers, and other big savings, too!  (Did I mention we have extra special pet bowls from a variety of patterns?)  We'll see you in September!

Watching as staff decides where to locate pallets on the sidewalk.

Here are some more interesting patterns from our inventory.  Each of these beautiful, high-quality dinnerware designs is produced by a Japanese manufacturer.

Noritake Sonoma Gardens is whiteware with grape clusters, cherries, and apples on the rim that spill onto the verge (where the center of the plate joins the rim).  Noritake, which excels in fruit and floral designs like Royal Orchard and Azalea, was founded in 1876 as "Morimura Brothers" by Baron Ichizaemon Morimura IV and Yutaka Morimura.  With offices in Tokyo and New York, the company exported curios, paper lanterns, and other items.  Visiting the Paris World Fair in 1900, the baron decided to produce fine dinnerware for export to the U.S. Noritake shipped its first china to the U.S. market in 1910.  After World War II (its exports to the U.S. had been cut off during the war years), Noritake focused on designs reflecting U.S. culture and design, and in 1948 Noritake ware again became available in the U.S.

 
Noritake Sonoma Gardens. 

Noritake Crystal Sweet Swirl-Lilac is elegant crystal with a swirled stem and curved panels on a convex bowl that flares at the top.  Noritake produces many crystal patterns designed to complement Noritake dinnerware. The company's crystal and glassware collection includes handmade, mouth-blown, and machine-made stems.  The Sweet Swirl pattern is emblematic of Noritake's success in the U.S. market.  Replacements, Ltd. currently has 16 variations of Sweet Swirl on file - colors range from black to lemon, from gray to light green, from amber to peach.  Sweet Swirl-Lilac was manufactured 1985-1988.  The most successful Sweet Swirl colors - clear, dark blue, light blue, and light green - were manufactured for two decades, 1985-2005.  In the highly competitive tableware market, many companies would enjoy emulating the success of Noritake Crystal!

 
Noritake Crystal Sweet Swirl-Lilac. 

Yamazaki Silver Old Denmark is high-quality, satin-finish stainless steel with round, sculpted handles featuring elegant ring designs.  The name of the pattern is no doubt a wink and a nod to Danish flatware manufacturers, who often employ broader tines in their forks, and give flared, non-traditional shapes to knife blades and spoons - design traits evident in Old Denmark.  This Yamazaki design is superbly made - a complement to a wide range of china and crystal.  From unique flatware patterns featuring sculpted handles with carefully finished tines, bowls and blades, to specialized serving pieces of generous size, each Yamazaki Silver pattern is designed to enhance both the appearance of the table setting and the enjoyment of the meal.  The company offers a wide range of stainless styles, from light-weight designs to heavier, more formal patterns, from glossy finishes to satin-finish designs.  Distinctive gold trim stainless designs are also available.

 
Yamazaki Silver Old Denmark.

Remember that you can always contact Ross and me by e-mailing at ross.howell@replacements.com.  Let us hear from you!  And be sure to visit our web site.  Talk to you again soon!

Pinot the Blog Dog

Prestigious Mottahedeh Reproductions

Hello from Pinot the Blog Dog!

We just had a great "Christmas in July" celebration in our showroom.  All kinds of items were offered at great savings, and Santa drew the name of a lucky showroom visitor who won a $500.00 Replacements, Ltd. gift card.  So many people signed up for showroom supervisor Jill Slatter's "Dining Etiquette" seminar that we had to schedule two programs!  And lots of people came in to take advantage of our Silver Repair Clinic, when our silversmiths inspected sterling and silverplate and gave people estimates on the cost to repair and restore the items at no charge. Click on this link to get more "Christmas in July" information.  And next year, be sure to come for a visit yourself!

 
Santa draws $500.00 gift card winner!

We have great Patterns of the Week selections for you!

Mottahedeh Canton is high-quality reproduction china of an early blue-and-white porcelain pattern from Asia.  Mildred Mottahedeh, who founded Mottahedeh & Company in New York City with her husband, began collecting Asian porcelain, jade, and bronze in 1929.  The couple's collection came to hold more than 2,000 items, and was considered to be one of the finest collections in the world.  Mottahedeh used
pieces from her collection as models for exquisite porcelain reproductions of the original Chinese wares.  Her company became one of the most prestigious porcelain manufacturers in the world, producing pieces for the Metropolitan Museum and Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.  Mottahedeh monteiths (punch bowls), bearing the great seal of the United States,
were presented as gifts to visiting heads of state by President Ronald Reagan.

 
Mottahedeh Canton china.
   
Wedgwood Crystal Dynasty features polished, geometric dot and panel cuts on its flared, squarish bowl - the stem is multi-sided, with a round foot.  Introduced by Wedgwood in 1981, Dynasty crystal was manufactured for 9 years.  Its shape is classic!  For the Wedgwood company, 2009 is a special year - the firm is celebrating its 250th anniversary. In 1759, Josiah Wedgwood established himself as an
independent potter at the "Ivy House Works" in Burslem, England. During his career, he made many refinements in the production processes for porcelain dinnerware.  Today, the Wedgwood company's patterns sometimes feature shell designs.  Wedgwood's personal passion was conchology, the study of mollusk shells. He often was seen on the beaches of England, collecting specimens. Wedgwood used these organic shapes in many of the original designs and patterns for his tableware and figurines.

 
Wedgwood Crystal Dynasty.

Take a look at the classical scroll and plume designs in Towle Queen Elizabeth I  sterling, and you'll understand why the pattern, introduced in 1970, is still in production.  More than 5,000 individuals have registered their interest in Queen Elizabeth I with Replacements, Ltd., and Towle is one of our most popular silver makers.  The company is founded on the craftsmanship and artistry of the Moulton
family of England, who over six generations of silver making, raised their artisanship to a high art. A young man named Anthony Towle would join William Moulton IV as an apprentice. When Moulton retired, Towle and a partner, William Jones, bought the Moulton family stock and formed Towle & Jones in 1857. With such a long history and distinguished tradition, Towle's Queen Elizabeth I is a pattern that resonates with skill and pride in craft.

 
Towle Queen Elizabeth I sterling.

If you'd like to get in touch with me, Pinot the Blog Dog, or with Ross, my assistant, e-mail us at ross.howell@replacements.com.  And whenever we can help you with china, crystal, silver, collectibles, or any need you might have in tableware, be sure to visit our web site.  Talk to you soon!

Pinot the Blog Dog