2021.07.20 Tuesday Stretch

Cal here with some contributions to the Dugan-Diamond fest which is taking place this month. There is lots of wonderful iridescent stretch glass which was made by Dugan-Diamond. Dave gave you an overview of the colors 2 weeks ago and tonight I’m going to show you some outstanding stretch glass from this company. While Dugan-Diamond made many different colors of stretch glass, there is one color which may be of more interest to carnival collectors. That color is Egyptian Lustre, which begins as black amethyst glass – solid black opaque glass similar to that used to make all other black glass. The iridescence which was applied ‘worked’ particularly well with the black glass, as did the re-heating and re-shaping, resulting in some outstanding iridescence on a number of these pieces. Let’s take a look at a few examples, some of which are in my collection:

Diamond made these two forms of punch bowls; they are both large enough to supply punch for a significant gathering of partyers. The angular sided one is less common than the flared one, which is known in a number of other colors in addition to Egyptian Lustre. The flared one is very similar to the Fenton punch bowls of the same shape; this difference is in the foot or base. As a result, a Diamond punch bowl will not fit well on a Fenton punch bowl base and visa versa. Black bases as shown in the picture are available for the flared punch bowls; no ‘correct’ base has been found for the angular sided punch bowl which has a large base. The angular-sided punch bowl belonged to Berry Wiggins at one time. He could not locate a Diamond base onto which the base of this bowl would fit and so he took a black base made by another company and added tape and all other sorts of material to the top of it until he had a base onto which this bowl would sit and not giggle around. When I bought the bowl from him, he included the base. I am continuing the search for the ‘correct’ base, I’m wondering if one was ever made for it now that I have a couple hundred black bases and none of them seem just right for this bowl.

This vase came out of a mold which had the ‘crackle’ pattern in it. They are very hard to obtain. The same vase is known in a few other shapes, but those are also in other colors. Maybe you have one of these Crackle vases in your collection?

This Coin Spot comport is no doubt familiar to all of you; it is an item which is enthusiastically collected by carnival and stretch glass enthusiasts.

The ‘Mae West’ candleholders generally exhibit multicolored iridescence and are more available than some of the other Egyptian Lustre items. The second pair of candleholders shown here are thick and heavy. They are sometimes referred to as ‘shelf supports’ or ‘pillars.’ Whatever you wish to call them, they are a great form of Egyptian Lustre and are popular with collectors.

This is a rather interesting Dugan-Diamond bowl. From the top it looks to be a rather ordinary cupped bowl; but from the side it is obviously sitting on feet of some sort and when you turn it over, there are three unusual feet on the bottom. Add the gold brick decoration and you have a pretty unique item. When I first acquired a similar bowl (but without the gold bricks) I thought it might be art glass, because the feet are very similar to those which appear on some art glass bowls. With Dave’s help, we confirmed that it is a Dugan-Diamond stretch glass bowl.

Here we have a few of the vases available in Egyptian Lustre. The first two photos show a small trumpet vase with a flared top which has been nicely decorated with a gold leaf design. The next is a larger version of the trumpet vase and the last photo is the much larger, flared ‘sweet pea’ vase, which has a wide base and a nearly flat flared top.

Dugan-Diamond made covered bonbons which are very similar to those made by Northwood and Fenton. The big difference is availability with Dugan-Diamond examples being much less available than the others. If you have American Iridescent Stretch Glass by Madeley & Shetlar, there is a page devoted to explaining the details of each manufacturer’s bonbon. When it comes to a bonbon in Egyptian Lustre, there is no question who made it because only Dugan-Diamond made this color.

This wide flared, cupped ‘ice cream shaped’ bowl exhibits great color in the iridescence. It is hard to capture in a photo, but you can see some of it here. Another bowl is the subject of the second photo; this one has an impressed starburst in the base. This is quite unusual to find in Egyptian Lustre; some plates and bowls in green and blue have a similar starburst, but even in those colors it is not something that is found in very many of Dugan-Diamond’s items.

Diamond is known for making these very wide bowls with flat bottoms. They are known in many of Diamond’s colors. Here is one which got some special treatment – it is decorated with hand-painted flowers, etc. It is very attractive and is one of my favorites in this color.

I’ll wrap up with this simple plate. Dugan-Diamond made plates in a number of sizes ranging from about 6” up to 9” and possibly more. The plates often exhibit superior iridescence and are most attractive to stand behind the other items in a display case.

I hope you enjoy this look at some of Dugan-Diamond’s Egyptian Lustre stretch glass. If you have examples in your collection we would love to see them so I hope you will consider sharing one or two while there is still time this month.

Cal