My Ginger Jar Obsession Today I’d like to talk about a favorite among collectors everywhere, the Chinese ginger jar. Recently I traveled to Round Top, Texas to the Antique Fair where I brought back two beautiful antique blue and white ginger jars. When I got home I began to wonder how I could find out for sure if these jars are truly antique. They don’t have a date marked on them, there isn’t a brand, it’s just blue and white porcelain and some guy's word. So I started researching and I found so many interesting facts about ginger jars that I just had to share them with all of you! First of all, what is a ginger jar? Ginger jars...
The Legend and Legacy of Blue Willow I’d like to tell you a story… Once upon a time there was a wealthy Mandarin, who had a beautiful daughter named Koong-se. The Mandarin had plans for Koong-se to marry a powerful Duke. But Koong-se had fallen in love with her father’s humble clerk (Chang). Obviously, this could not happen because of the difference in their social class. Their love was discovered by her father who built a high fence around his house to keep the lovers apart. The Duke arrived by boat to claim his bride, bringing a box of jewels as a gift. The wedding was to take place the day the blossom fell from the willow tree. The night...
Rose Medallion 101 Today on the blog I want to talk a little bit about one of our most beloved patterns, Rose Medallion. Now let me preface this by saying I am not an expert on this by any means but I do love this pattern (like many of you out there) and I really enjoy researching and I’m always trying to learn about it and all the other treasures I come across that end up in my shop. First of all, Rose Medallion has been around for centuries but really gained in popularity around the 19th century when trade with China opened up with western countries. A little bit on dating RM – if it’s unmarked on the bottom...
