If we change the mission of our club to embrace ALL Steuben glass (Carder’s Steuben glass AND Post-Carder Steuben glass), should we not also change the name of our club to accurately represent our new mission, e.g., the “Steuben Club?”

This evolution of our organization, from “Friends of Frederick Carder” to the “Carder Steuben Club” to the (proposed) “Steuben Club” seems to be a tacit suggestion that “the times, they are a-changing.”

What say YOU, fellow members?

Frank Creech

GLASS NAME

1. I think that colorless Steuben might be a better name although colorless Carder glass exists. “Crystal” isn’t very definitive and could mean colored as well as colorless.

The Carder Steuben factory records use “crystal” and “flint” a lot but the Dimitroff book uses the term “colorless” for colorless glass exclusively.

I still like “Modern” or perhaps “Houghton era” Steuben the best.

Marshall Ketchum

2. I could not agree with adding Houghton era to the description, wasn’t that a limited period?

Modern Crystal Steuben is still my choice regardless of the color aspect.

The title the Madigan book as you well know is “Steuben Glass an American Tradition in Crystal”, so I stick by my original suggestion Steuben Crystal or Modern Steuben Crystal.

Page 28 of Ms. Madigan’s book: * “As Houghton put it, Crystal is the ultimate, the real perfection of the material og glass…………….”

Page 28, ** “……..updates the catalogue to identify all pieces of Steuben crystal made through 2001……” *Russell Lynes **Mary Jean Madigan

Crystal seems to be the theme!

John Styler

3. The definition of a crystal is an organic or inorganic compound that consists of atoms that are arranged in an ordered fashion. Examples include sodium chloride i.e. table salt, and diamonds. Glass is an amorphous non-crystalline material where the atoms have no fixed relationship to one another. Pure silicon dioxide which is a major constituent of glass can be found in crystalline forms. The use of the word crystal when referring to glass is an improper but, unfortunately, common use of the word. I would prefer not to use an improper term in association with the Club when there are other possibilities.

Marshall Ketchum

4. Marshall, Tell that to the hundreds of millions of people that refer to their glass as their Crystal every day.

We are talking about collectors not chemists.

John Styler

2013 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 19-21, 2013. The festivities will begin with Frederick Carder’s 150th birthday celebration on the evening of September 18, 2013.

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