GUEST POST: Christmas Ornaments

Christmas tree decorations have changed over the years but my favourites are still the old fashion vintage ornaments.

I remember staring into them for endless hours as they hung on our family Christmas tree and making mini wishes. I guess I felt as if these little sparkly spheres possessed magical powers.

You know what? I still think they do! Happy Boxing Day!
Laura

Ever wonder if an ornament is vintage or a good reproduction? Check out these tips from Wikipedia:

1. Look at the topper and hanger: gold, thin metal or plastic toppers & hangers mean it’s a newer piece, maybe a reproduction.
2. Original vintage ornaments used steel or a silver metal for tops. A small, metal, dull or slightly verdigris or rusty topper indicates this is an older ornament! Also look for a seam. If you see a seam down the sides, it’s most likely a reproduction, not an original handblown.
3. Some early Victorian ornaments from the 1800′s – early 1900′s are amazingly, still found at online auctions, even though they are really very old. Look for crinkly wire wrapped glass balls, or glass ornaments with NO SEAM…they are probably hand blown glass, not molded. Some used string or feathers as decoration. European (German, Polish, Austrian, Italian or French) handblown glass ornaments come in a variety of shapes: Houses, churches, fruits, nuts, hot air balloons, flowers, baskets with flowers, birds, etc. Especially popular are icicles, handblown and handpainted in rainbow colors, or metallic icy silver. Beautiful vintage Polish ornaments, round, teardrop or oval, are usually handpainted with intricate flowers, feathers and dots. The metal tops might say POLAND.
4. Wartime (1940′s) glass balls were painted, but not using metallic paints: you won’t see golds or silvers then. All metal was reserved for fabrication for the war. Look for primary coloured solids (red, yellow & blue) on clear glass, with dots, stripes or topped with snow. The metal cap might say MADE IN USA.
5. Vintage 1950′s glass ornaments come in a great variety of sizes and prints, with popular colors like reds, pinks, mossy greens and icy blues. Look for metallic paint (Mercury Glass), little frosty scenes (“stencil”) or starburst centers (“indents”) , and snow (“flocking”). A popular company at that time was Shiny Brite. They made jumbo sized glass balls down to teeny tiny mini glass balls the size of a pea, with string for hangers.

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