Saturday, December 11, 2010

Rande Bly of Birmingham, Alabama responds to the attachment to the last Gazette (#1008), “The Many Shades of Jade”, anarticle appearing in the September 2000 issue of Traditional Home magazine. The article features Tom Dimitroff and some stunning photographs of groupings of jade glass assembled by Tom.

Thank you for the very fine article on The Shades of Jade. I noticed it referred to their pictured flared Shade Vase in Dark Blue Jade calling it Midnight Blue Jade. The article said it is the rarest of the jades. I would like to point out they also pictured the Two Line Pillar Footed Bowl in Medium Blue Jade. So nice to have these pictured together. As you can see these are not the same color of blue. The Medium Blue Jade is actually the rarest color of jade of those pictured. June Ricco from California has a Medium Blue Jade piece and I believe it is also in shape 7307. It is by far much more rare than Dark Blue Jade. I believe it was Mark Buffa that shared the fact he saw this rare color show up on the west coast more often for some strange reason? Perhaps a location it was marketed from? I think we have also heard the term yuck following this color. Come on now.Steuben and yuck in the same sentence? Not likely. Nonetheless Medium Blue Jade will remain the rarest Jade until we get this Selenium/Cadmium Red Jade thing straight I am working on?

If June is reading could you provide your picture of Medium Blue Jade again for our remembrance? Some of you may have seen a Red Jade color that looks a lot like Rouge Flambe sometimes with a slight orange tint. I need a few more pictures to add to those I have. At first appearance it might seem you are looking at Rouge Flambe. Upon closer examination the piece may have a light streak of what looks to be Alabaster or a Flint White/Alabaster glass in the mix that is not completly stirred in. The overall piece will tend to be slightly more selenium orange-red in color tone. You will most likely see this color in the form of an optic ribbed dinner plate. The Rouge Flambe plates I have seen were not ribbed. It will have a very shiny surface. It also is not as opaque as Rouge Flambe but is more translucent from the Alabaster. It also comes in the form of a vase with characteristics of Chinese influence. We have had the opportunity to view inside one of the swirls of Alabaster/Flint White on a plate bottom that was ground and polished into one of the streaks. It looked like Alabaster.

I have pictures of about 4 pieces. One signed, one paper label, and one new piece with possibly an identifiable ACB pattern (we have only had one week to work on). With one or two more examples I should be ready to write an article on the color and share the pictures I do have. The deep rouge like red was extremely difficult to maintain or achieve in the reheating process and easily shifted to a slight orange- garnet tint we often see present in the pontil area in other selenium colored pieces during the reheating process. It will be made from lead glass instead of flint glass like Rouge Flambe.

I have a solid idea on it’s color name and some of you have hinted about the possibility of it being also marketed with the marketing name Rouge Flamee. I have included photos of 3 different plates and two vases all showing the variation in the color of red.

randebly@yahoo.com

Thank you

Rande Bly

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