Last week we looked at Depression glass and explored some of the manufactures who make it. Today I thought we would dig a little bit into Elegant Glass.

If you remember this chart below we reviewed in the Depression Glass post, you will remember there were two types of glass being produced during this time period.

Elegant glass was often taken off the mold then etched, creating a handmade element to the work, causing it to be more valuable and costly. (This stuff wasn't the freebies). During the 1920s to 1950s, this was often a substitute to fine china and was often sold in department stores and given as wedding presents.

Here are some differences between depression glass and elegant glass (according to this article):

Elegant glass produced more vibrant colors than Depression glass. (If you are to compare the same color of a piece of depression glass vs a piece of elegant glass and the color of the elegant glass will be much brighter.)
Pressed Elegant glass was fire polished and that helped remove the flaws normally found in pressed glass like straw marks, raised seams, etc.
The base of the object of Elegant glass was ground so it would sit evenly on a table.
Elegant glass was not only etched but it also had various trims like gold and platinum or enamel decoration

Elegant glass is a relatively new term coined to the glass of this period that had to be touched by human hands. But, it does get a little complicated. Sometimes companies used the same molds as their “regular ole” depression glass and then manipulated it. Because of this, it is helpful to know some of the manufacturers and pattern names of the popular Elegant Glass of the time!