Antique Baby Names: Collecting Collectible Names
There was a time when I did a lot of writing about antiques and collectibles, in the course of which I amassed five or six tall bookcases fully stocked with volumes on everything from Mickey Mouse memorabilia to model trains to Meissen porcelain. But since I’ve become almost exclusively Berry-focused, I keep thinking I should cull the collection and make room for my ever expanding assemblage of international name books. Yet something always stops me.
Just today, I was thinking I would drop off a few books at least at my local library, but every time I’d pick one up—Golf Collectibles, say, or Depression Glass—something would impel me to put it down. And why? Because each one is filled with names of one kind or another, names that just might be of interest to the Berries as antique baby names.
So, to justify (or not) my ambivalence, I thought I’d browse through a few of them to see what I could come up with, trying to avoid the proper names of makers, but looking for words with baby name potential. Here’s what I came up with—see what you think.
Amberina–an amber glass made with a gold powder, used in art glass
Aurene –iridescent glassware developed at the Steuben glass works
Belleek—a delicate Irish porcelain with a creamy finish
Burleigh—a British pottery
Cameo–a stone or shell with a design, typically a portrait, carved into it in relief
Chantilly—delicate silk lace named for Chantilly, France, where it was first made
Coralene–-glass or porcelain featuring raised beads of glass
Dariv—a gold coin depicting a king
Deco—Art deco, the design style that flourished in the 1920s and 30s
Devonia—lace featuring raised flower petals
Durand—an art glass produced in New Jersey
Favrile—an iridescent art glass patented by Tiffany
Florin—a coin minted in Florence from 1252 on
Galalith—an early form of plastic
Galatea—a sturdy cotton cloth, usually striped
Graver—a tool used for engraving
Kaolin—a fine clay used in making ceramics
Imari ware—Japanese enameled porcelain
Izannah—Izannah Walker was a 19th century Rhode Island cloth doll maker (a proper name exception)
Kiku— chrysanthemum design used extensively on Oriental wares
Lalique—fine French glass produced by René Lalique (another exception)
Lenci—a German toy maker of exquisite dolls
Lunette—a decorative piece in a half-moon shape
Mandora—an old form of lute
Marotte—a mechanical doll that sang when revolved
Minton—English pottery famed for its Blue Willow ware
Navette—oval shaped stone with point at each end
Niello—a black metallic alloy used in ornamenting metal
Olla – a wide-mouthed, bulbous pot
Onza—a Spanish gold coin
Palissy—a 16th century French lead-glazed pottery
Parian—matte white ceramic ware
Pietra dura—a very fine quality of marble
Raden—an inlay of mother-of-pearl
Rosemeade—pottery produced in North Dakota
Rubena—blown art glass that shades from red to clear
Sehna—a knot found in Persian carpets
Tabriz—a category of Persian carpets woven in Tabriz
Tarsia—an Italian form of intricate marquetry
Tazza- a metal or ceramic wine cup with a shallow bowl (literally means cup in Italian)
Tessera—small square of glass or stone used in making a mosaic
Tondo—a circular painting or relief
Treen—meaning ‘from the tree’, describes a large range of objects carved of wood
Trilby—a 1950s Ideal doll
Veduta—a scenic painting depicting an entire city
Vina—a slender stringed musical instrument from India
So what do you think? Should I keep going, or is it time to clear the bookshelves?