Monday, November 5, 2012

Jadeite enthusiasts, please stand up.






And step forward.


I need your help, please.

The other day, while shopping for two hours (!) in a Goodwill store, the majority of that time spent having a miniature heart attack in the dish aisle, which, as we know, I have no business being in let alone loading a shopping cart full of all kinds of heart-attack-inducing dinnerware, I now have a question:



How do I tell if these plates are vintage Jadeite (or not)? They have no particular pattern and no identifying marks at all. 

That worries me.

Should I be worried?


A pretty pair of Blue Ridge Pottery plates

Another Goodwill shopper seemed to think they’re vintage and I base that solely on her reaction when she saw them in my cart and asked, “Do you know that those plates are collectible?!”

My outside voice: “Yes, I do.”

My inside voice: “Yes, I do. They’re in my cart. Stop touching them.”


The latest additions to my personal mix-&-match collection of (indestructible) vintage Japanese stoneware

She also asked me, “Do you know what they’re worth?!” (nicely, but in the do-you-have-any-idea-what-you-have-there-because-if-you-don’t-I’ll-take-them-off-your-hands-for-you way)  

Outside voice, not wanting to disappoint:  “I think so.”

Inside voice:  “No clue. Just hoping it’s more than the $2 Goodwill wants for them.”


Resale score! Bunches of Haviland Limoges

We smiled and agreed it was a very good day at Goodwill.

Inside voice: “Yes, it is.”

(Thank you for your help with my question.)


37 comments:

  1. Who cares if they are vintage or not! (Not all Jadeite pieces are marked.) They are fabulous!! That milky green color makes me swoon!

    I hope you can find the information you need, but if you only want absolutely vintage pieces and can't figure these out, please consider sending them to me. I gladly take donations of fabulous-ness! LOL

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  2. Yes! I am a Jadeite lover! I know enough about it to know that there are a fair amount of unmarked vintage pieces out there... but not enough to know whether yours are or not from just a picture. Sorry :( Either way, they count as a great score if you found them at a Goodwill!

    Love the Japanese stoneware too!

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  3. What sweet finds!! vintage dishes are my weakness too!! haha. Hope you have a great week! xo Holly

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  4. For $2 who cares!! All that Jadeite green loveliness is wonderful whether it's old or new.

    Not to make you envious, but I just bought a vintage Jadeite green Tonka toy truck. Swoon. I've been looking for years and finally scored and it didn't break the bank!!!

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  5. Love Jadeite! All I can offer is the fact that many, many pieces I see are unmarked.
    xo
    claudia

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  6. Oh, such pretty finds!! I wish I could help with the pretty Jadeite plates. Love the vintage Christmas linen so sweetly under the vintage dish set!! Happy Monday! xo Heather

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  7. I found some jadeite this summer for $1 per bowl and I looked it up online and it looks authentic to me! Sounds like you got a good deal too! ~Patti

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  8. great find! i love jadite, not sure if they are vintage. there is alot out there that are not vintage but they have gone up in price also. even williams sonoma got into making jadite a few years ago, they had green and "yellow". it was pulled though, as reports of breakage when used in the microwave if my memory serves me right. i have mugs, no problems. enjoy your great score!

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  9. I am clueless, but Sue Hagood collects jadeite and may be able to help. You did have a good day at GW!!!

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  10. First: LOVE your Christmas blub tree!!! I see 240 folks left a comment for a chance to win it!
    I don't know anything about jadeite..sorry! They are pretty plates!
    When I have an encounter like yours at the thrift store..sometimes I "play dumb"...bad me!
    Nice finds. I having the urge to go to the thrift store tomorrow!!! Bad me, again!
    Warmly,
    deb

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  11. oooh jadeite - a real classic find with staying power! nice.

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  12. Such great finds. I have a vintage inspired giveaway you might want to check out, but it ends Tuesday......

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  13. LOVE jadite. Is there any wear on the bottom of the plates or does it look new? Is the glass slightly translucent when you hold it up to the light? Some of the newer jadite is thicker with no translucency. I notice that some of the newer pieces never got the color exactly right. I loved reading about your inside voice thoughts :) I would of been there right there with you. Whether they are old or new the price was so right.

    Danielle

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  14. So you have an inside/outside voice huh? A split personality type thing which is good to know about when we hang out. I am glad they were in YOUR cart and NOT hers, or your inside/outside conversation would have been quite different. No clue if they are vintage or not..we need Barbara to chime in on this one...

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  15. I am so hoping to use my inside and my outside voice tomorrow! Oh the joy of thrifting...I always wear my headphones...so as not to have to chat. Smiles...Renee

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  16. Oh wow, you really scored with all around! I've been a Jadeite lover for many moons and I'm sooo envious of your finds. There were several companies making Jadeite and it's hard to tell from the pics, but they look like restaurant ware to me. Are they thick and heavy? I'll have to consult my handy dandy Jadeite book. You did good with the Goodwill poker face:-)

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  17. I am on my feet and cheering! I have no idea if they are vintage or reproduction and it doesn't really matter since they will look great in your kitchen, either way!
    I can't imagine that Crate and Barrel and Martha Stewart wouldn't be so proud that they would mark their reproductions.

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  18. They definitely look like restaurant ware from the picture, but restaurant ware has a certain heft to it. If it feels a bit light or thin, it might be reproduction. But seriously, who cares? I know I'd be in Jadeite Heaven if I found some. All I ever seem to find is ironstone. (Oh no, was that just my inside/outside voice saying that?)

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  19. I read an article at Martha Stewart that said that not all Jadeite has identifying marks. ENJOY! http://www.marthastewart.com/266055/jadeite

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  20. Wow you had a great day! Glad you made it out of there with your treasures. Love the Haviland, looks like my grandmother's! :) R

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  21. I'll look these up when I get home, but I find it unmarked quite often. The mark you REALLY don't want is the one that says Microwave Safe, which tends to indicate it's not vintage. To put it mildly.

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  22. Ooo! They're so pretty!

    So glad there's others out there who have outside and inside voices and who love vintage dishes! Good things there's not too many,though! ♥

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  23. Yes! You've called me! I adore jade-ite but admit to know as much about worth as what is reflected on Ebay -- maybe a place to start?

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  24. I don't know for sure, but I have both vintage and repo, and the repo is much lighter, thinner feeling and also sometimes has light lines around the bowls, like a swirling that goes around the contour of the bowl in the direction that they made it. (like age lines in a tree trunk.)

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  25. All your finds are gorgeous! Wish I could help you with your question, I'm no pro with IDing vintage.

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  26. I found a bunch of jadeite at our Goodwill several months ago, and I STILL can't believe it! I'm the type that needs some markings on an item to tell me whether it's vintage, so I'm no help here. I'm also the type who's inside voice takes over alot of the time, and I would have told her to not only stop touching them, but also stop LOOKING at them!

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  27. I love jadeite, too but I can't tell the difference between reproduction and vintage. I have both. Some Martha Stewart that is not marked. I do have a mixing bowl that says Star Rite on the bottom, pretty sure that is vintage. I have seen jadeite vases being sold as vintage in antique booths and I KNOW they are not because they are from Trader Joe's..I bought them with herbs in them. I've also seen quilts being passed off as vintage and they are not 'cuz I bought one at a Dept. store just like it! I think that is the problem with reproductions. I love repros but please don't pass them off as vintage..just say,not sure or ask an expert.

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  28. So gorgeous! Love your plates. I feel the same way whenever I find a great find (to me) at Salvation Army, GoodWill and the like. Any update on your plates you found their worth? I think as long as you relaly like them, then they are definitely worth more than the $2.00 - especially for dinnerware. Score!

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  29. I love jadeite, but just can't tell from photos if yours are vintage or not. Great price, though, whatever the case. Congrats on scoring all your goodies!!!

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  30. Can't help you with the jadeite, but the plates are gorgeous in their own right, regardless. I also love your yellow floral pieces.

    You are so funny.♥

    xoxo

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  31. My real jadite says FireKing on the bottom but it is really not much different than the pieces I bought at Target and Sears about 10 years ago (they have barcode stickers on the bottom). This is probably not all that helpful but I had to contribute as a "jadite enthusiast" ;-)

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  32. Fire King, one of my favorite dish companies, has gone through several trademark transitions over the years. This article gives a brief overview.

    http://doit101.com/Collectibles/jadite.html

    Another article about authenticity of unmarked Jadeite.
    http://www.spglass.com/fk-faqs.html

    Vintage or repro, the dishes are all lovely.I never get tired of the creamy green color! I've shopped second hand for dishes for 26 years, and have only found a few pieces of Jadeite. Congrats!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the info -- I'll check it out. I'm a little nervous these two plates might be the start of a new dish collection. :-)

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  33. I love it, but don't know enough about it. If I remember correctly, Diane over at Saturday Finds collects lots Jadeite, so she probably knows how to tell if it's vintage or not.

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  34. I love jadeite ! You can purchase the jadite bible by David Ross and joe Keller .. It's good resource. Check out my blog : confessions of a jadeite-a-holic on jo-deite.blogspot.com

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  35. Hi, Great interesting blog!

    Out of interest, I have a Jadite vase that used to belong to my great grandmother so I know it was around in the 1890's, but I dont know its worth as it does not have any factory markings. We are keen to get rid of it, but we are unsure of what a "good deal" would be. If anyone has any advice on what I should do, I would really appreciate it! Im based in the UK!
    Thanks

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