GLASS OF SILK, By Bob Mueller

Verre de Soie, or Glass of Silk would become one of Mr. Carder’s most popular types of glass at Steuben Glass.

With Mr. Carder first producing his Verre de Soie in 1906 he would still be using it up to the very end of his management years at Steuben Glass in 1932. Over those years Verre de Soie was used in a wide variety of applications by Mr. Carder. It was used for candlesticks, bowls, vases, engraving and shades. With the beautiful iridescent sheen to it, the soft appearance had great appeal to the ladies of the day.

One other highly successful application of Mr. Carder’s Verre de Soie was for glass blanks sold to the T.G. Hawkes Company. Much engraved Verre de Soie glass is now seen on the market. Whether, as Steuben or Hawkes the number of pieces suggests its commercial success.

With some of the Verre de Soie there can also be a big difference in its iridescence. Some pieces have a little dullness to it, and the piece next to it has that great rainbow iridescence to it. The basket shown in the link shows that rainbow in its color which also adds that extra class to it. http://www.kddk.com/alans/GlassofSilk.pdf

One of the applications where Verre de Soie was frequently used successfully was for shades. You could order Verre de Soie shades in most sizes, engraved, applied treading, etc.

Verre de Soie also was frequently used with colored applied decorations, threading, prunts and fruit finials. These decorations would really bring out the great beauty of Verre de Soie.

New Intarsia

In 1906, Mr. Carder would start to use his Verre de Soie with a new type of decoration called “New Intarsia.” This decoration was green glass that would be worked into the glass with a heart and vine decoration then sprayed for its iridescence sheen. In 1908, Mr. Carder would stop production of his New Intarsia. To find a piece of this will not be an easy task but a treasured one.

Aqua Marine – Cyprian

Mr. Carder would change his Verre de Soie just a touch to give his Verre de Soie glass a different appearance. By doing just one thing Mr. Carder would have the gaffers as they were finishing a piece of Verre de Soie, spray it with a greenish tint on the outer surface. When the piece was cooled down you would see the greenish tone to the glass.

Then a few years later, Mr. Carder would try one more adjustment with the Aqua Marine. Then Mr. Carder would just decorate his Aqua Marine with an applied decoration of celeste blue to the rim or an applied decoration to the piece of Aqua Marine that now becomes a piece of Cyprian.

One other thing Mr. Carder did with his Verre de Soie, was to spray the surface of pieces of Bristol yellow and Celeste Blue as they are being made to give these two colors the iridescence appearance that we see on pieces of Verre de Soie.

Mr. Carder developed his Verre de Soie in many ways. He didn’t leave a stone unturned.

Bob Mueller

Osseo, MN