RARE ONE ST LOUIS C1990 Sulfide DOUBLE CASED OR OVERLAY Paperweight Egg Crystal SIGNED ……..

This listing is for ONE rare St. Louis crystal paperweight, made in approximately 1990 with a double overlay design. The sulfide decoration features an egg shape and is SCRIPT SIGNED ST LOUIS to the base. The material used is high-quality crystal, which gives the paperweights a beautiful shine and clarity.

The year of manufacture is approximately 1990. These paperweights are a rare find and would make a great addition to any collection. The clear crystal is cased in white and then also in green glass. The pattern of this one is Deeply cut from the apex to near the base with an optic circle adjoining it. It is cut through to the clear crystal allowing the fraction of white outline to still be visible….a veritable masterpiece. The green long pointed pattern like arrowheads (my idea!!) are then gilded down the middle. Please see photos.

MEASUREMENTS: 4.5cm x 7cm

CONDITION: Mint perfect…. No chips, nibbles or scratches.

RESEARCH NOTES:

Glass Sulphides and Cameo Incrustations: A short explanation:

Glass sulphides, also called Cameo Incrustations, are opaque, usually white, medallians or figurines encased in glass and used to decorate clear glass objects. They often appear on the sides of decanters, jugs, bottles and tumblers, and they are a very popular form of paperweight decoration, as in the 1955 paperweight by Baccarat (France) with a sulphide bust of Lafayette.

The name sulphide comes from the use of sulphur in the process of manufacturing sulphides in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The sulphide itself is usually made from a clay (or ceramic) and glass paste and is completely encased in glass.

The early 19th century patents (Apsley Pellatt in 1819 in England and Pierre Honore Boudon de Saint-Amans in 1818 in France) involved opening up a blown glass bulb while it was still molten, and placing the sulphide inside, then sealing up the opening (by pinching together the molten glass) and sucking out the air to draw the glass and the sulphide together.

Sulphides encased in glass were made in France by the procelain designer Desprez and his son during the 1790s; also by Henri-Germain Boileau at least as early as 1796. James Tassie, in England, made cameo sulphides from the 1760s onwards, but these were primarily used to decorate jewellery or as surface decorations on pottery or glass, rather than glass-encased. They were, nevertheless, made from ceramic and glass paste.

Very crude clay models encased in glass were reported to have been made in Bohemia at even earlier dates, but it seems that none of these have survived. Glass encased cameos were also made in the USA by Pairpoint Glass and possibly by the New England Glass Company in the 19th century.

Whatever the origins of sulphides, there can be little doubt that the most famous and successful producers of sulpides were Apsley Pellat in England from 1819 to the mid-century, and Baccarat in France from around the mid-1840s to the present day. Very beautiful sulphides were also made by John Ford and Company in Scotland in the late 19th century, and by the Clichy glassworks and the St Louis glassworks in France.

Sulphides are sometimes called "Cameo Incrustations" or "Cameo Encrustations" and Apsley Pellatt originally called them "Crystallo-Ceramie". Their popularity as a luxury item was harmed when cheap imitations were made in which the design was pressed into a glass object, leaving an intaglio impression which was then filled with plaster of paris and glued onto the surface of the glass vessel.

If you need further information please do not hesitate to message me…..

PLEASE READ:

I try to describe all the items as accurately and as honestly as possible, and I always include photos or scans of the actual items.

Anything major such as cracks chips or major loss of gilding etc will be pointed out in the description and shown on the photos

If you are still unsure as to the condition etc. please ask questions or request more photos BEFORE bidding or buying.

DISCLAIMER:

My items are usually vintage or antique, very rarely new, and condition will sometimes reflect this with minor marks, wear on gilding etc.

***Please keep in mind, I am not an expert, but an enthusiastic collector. I do my best to research the item and its history and pass that information on to my customers, you can google items and find the same information I do. If you know anything of interest that I have not included I am always interested to learn. Vintage or pre-owned items will often show some signs of wear due to their age, and there may be something I overlooked. There can be naturally occurring manufacturer's defects, slight surface scratching, or wear consistent with normal use. Any condition outside normal vintage wear, like chips or cracks or serious defaults, will be noted.***

POSTAGE:

International buyers please note:

N.B. The Global Shipping Programme does not allow sellers to send combined purchases as one item, but you can, if you require more than one item put them in your basket to achieve a joint invoice. For multiple purchases please contact before committing to buy, to make sure the items can be sent in the same parcel.

SECURITY:

For buyer and seller protection , please be aware that sometimes there might be a gold security disk, especially on glass, to prevent a scammer claiming breakages etc, all items must be returned for scanning. If you require more information, please do not hesitate to message me.

There may be a removable security label for ease of identification - returns not accepted if removed.

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