Martha by Mail ~ Antique Star Dessert Plates

Martha by Mail commissioned these exquisite plates many years ago from a Japanese manufacturer known for its delicate & prized porcelain. Bordered with a jade green rim, each 8 1/4 inch plate is given gilded edges & a scalloped border on the inner rim. Perfectly centered is a golden star that is unlike any other I've ever seen. It brings to mind some of the designs used by England's finest china manufacturers from the late 18th & early 19th centuries. Dedicated and expert Japanese artisans skillfully embellished each plate with the fine hand of true artists.

Designed to be used for desserts, the plates can be combined with a number of china patterns. I love pairing them with fine white bone china from Wedgwood or elegant white porcelain from the Limoges region of France. Quite honestly, a white dinner plate makes the best canvas on which to showcase this beautiful pattern, but they also do marvelously on their own. Use them for a dessert course or for tiny, delicate nibbles at a cocktail party. A true collector's item sold exclusively through Martha by Mail, the Antique Star Dessert Plates are meant to be cherished for generations to come.

Martha by Mail

Antique Star Dessert Plate

Such exquisite brushstrokes make each plate unique. The plates were inspired by a vintage pattern in Martha Stewart's personal collection of china.

I love this scalloped border. Such fine gilding makes these porcelain plates luxurious.

A stack of 8 plates ready to be used for a dessert.

The plate set on Wedgwood white bone china.

Beautiful. Timeless. Exclusively Martha by Mail.

✼

Antique Salt Cellars

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess. As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home. A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal. The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household. Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings. Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion. Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for the table come in silver, porcelain, cut glass

Collecting Jadeite

With its origins dating back to the 1930s, jadeite glassware began its mass production through the McKee Glass Co. in Pennsylvania. Their introduction of the Skokie green & Jade kitchenware lines ushered in our fascination with this jade color. Glassmakers catered jadeite to the American public as an inexpensive alternative to earthenware soon after the Depression, both for the home and for its use in restaurants. The Jeanette Glass Company and Anchor Hocking introduced their own patterns and styles, which for many collectors, produced some of the most sought after pieces. Companies marketed this beautiful glass under the monikers of jadite , jadeite , jade glass , jad-ite , jade-ite , so however you want to spell it, let it draw you in for a closer look. If you want a thorough history of the origins of jadeite, collectors’ pricing, patterns & shapes (don’t forget the reproductions in 2000), I highly suggest picking up the book by Joe Keller & David Ross called, Jadei

A Tour of Turkey Hill with Martha Stewart and Friends

Martha Stewart led an intimate tour of her former Westport, Connecticut home and gardens for a few of my friends this past weekend. From the photographs I've seen of that special day, it was an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime by those who were in attendance. As much as I regret not going to this momentous occasion, my friends were kind enough to allow me to share their amazing photographs here on the blog. Let's take a tour of Turkey Hill with Martha Stewart and a few of my friends. Without the kindness of Jeffrey Reed, Dennis Landon, Darrin David, Anthony Picozzi and Colin Eastland, this post would not be possible. It must also be stated that the fundraising event was graciously hosted by the current owners of Turkey Hill, the Bergs. Many thanks to the Berg family for opening up the property. Turkey Hill is the Federal style home that was purchased, renovated and landscaped by Martha Stewart and her then husband, Andy, back in 1970. It was he

Good Things by David

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