The top shelf hosts home to all of the Jeanette delphite.
Many of you know that my one true love collectible is jadeite, but have you ever met Jadeite’s sister Delphite? It’s funny to say that because my youngest sister is actually the one who started this delphite collection. I wanted to share a little about Delphite with you because when I shared this last year, there were SO many questions and I had a lot to learn.
Delphite was actually produced during the same time as jadeite, it even sold for the same price during the depression era. Long before the jadeite craze, delphite was a hot collection item too. Delphite was produced in much smaller quantities, hence making it more expensive and harder to find today.
One of my favorite brands of jadeite is the Jeanette Company and wouldn’t you know that they made a beautiful blue delphite collection too! This was my favorite of all of the delphite because it was fun to compare the pieces of jadeite to delphite. Interestingly enough there are delphite pieces that were only made in delphite that were never made in jadeite.
Next is McKee delphite – this also has many jadeite comparable pieces. McKee pieces tend to be slightly lighter in color than their Jeannette counterparts. McKee’s delphite can be a little confusing, because McKee produced two blue colors, one delphite and one chalaine. Chalaine is a lighter blue color that is slightly brighter. One of my favorite glassware accounts on Instagram is @21stcenturyfleamarket – check out Renee’s amazing delphite and chaline collection!
This picture is a great photo to see the difference in color. On the top shelf is a splash proof bowl set in Fireking turquoise blue. To the right of them are Fireking charm cup and saucers in azurite blue.
Finally is Fireking glass – which is not technically delphite, but falls into some of the same color scheme. Fireking developed these patterns and labeled them azurite blue and turquoise blue. Sometimes the grey pattern in Fireking can also read blue as well. Turquoise Blue was available in splash-proof mixing bowls and a round dinnerware line. Azurite was available in the popular shapes, Swirl and Charm (square).
Pyrex also had some claim to the delphite popularity. My sister has several small refridgerator dishes in her collection!
Today reproduction delphite is on the rise. Mosser glass makes a similar style called Bonnie Blue if you are looking to start a collection of reproduction pieces (these are always my favorite for everyday use.) As far as a guidebook to identifying pieces of delphite, my favorite is Delphite and Jadeite, a pocket guide by Keller & Ross which you can find linked below!
Delphite and its colorful counterparts are my favorite to decorate for spring and summer. That beautiful blue hue lends itself well to the soft spring colors. Let’s not forget a little blue for the Fourth of July too! Blue is typically a color that represents sadness, but this beautiful blue glassware is sure to bring you joy!
Check out the links below to start your collection today!
