Azalea by Noritake
Wistaria-Pink by Tiffin/Franciscan
Strasbourg by Gorham Silver

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First produced in 1918, Noritake Azalea is gorgeous rimmed china, with asymmetrical azalea designs that spill over the verge (the verge area is where the well of the plate merges with the rim). So life-like are the blossoms that when you touch them, you expect to feel the delicate softness of petals rather than the hard glaze of fine china! Gold trim on the edge completes the design. Noritake was founded in 1876 as “Morimura Brothers” by Baron Ichizaemon Morimura IV and Yutaka Morimura. With offices in Tokyo and New York, the company exported curios, paper lanterns, and other items. Visiting the Paris World Fair in 1900, the baron formed the idea of producing fine dinnerware for export to the United States. Noritake manufactured and shipped its first china to the U.S. in 1910.

Tiffin/Franciscan Wistaria-Pink crystal features a delicately colored concave bowl that flares at the top, a multi-sided, notch-shape stem that is heavier at the bottom, and a round foot. The unique Wistaria-Pink color was developed about 1948 by Tiffin’s Ellsworth Beebe. Beebe worked with chemists from India to create the formula, which he committed to memory. When Beebe died in 1963, Tiffin was never able to replicate the subtle and exquisite color. The crystal was marketed in conjunction with the appearance of actress Helen Hayes on Broadway in a play entitled, The Wistaria Trees. This rare crystal is highly sought-after by collectors, as is the Tiffin giftware that was produced in the Wistaria color. Crafted by Tiffin Glass Company, a firm that began production in a brand-new Ohio plant in 1889 – this is classic American crystal!

Gorham Silver Strasbourg is scallop-shaped sterling silver, with a scrolled edge and fan/plume design at the tip of the handle. The balance in proportions in this silver represents the very apex of great design, where each element enhances the effect of the whole. A wonderful complement to Azalea and Wistaria-Pink, this elegant pattern was produced by a legendary American company, Gorham Silver. Jabez Gorham, its founder, born into a family of eight, was apprenticed to 18th century New England silver patriarch Nehemiah Dodge at a very early age. After his apprenticeship, Gorham founded his own company in 1831 in a shop on Steeple Street in Providence, RI. He quickly established a reputation for creating distinctive hand-crafted silver of the highest quality. Gorham Silver’s reputation for excellence endures today.

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