Vitreon Queens Luster

The silver fade or silver ombre glassware famous for their recent appearances in Don Draper’s office on Mad Men, have been coined as Dorothy Thorpe, although similar in style, Dorothy Thorpe glasses have banded silver tops.  She did not design glassware with a silver fade design.  The silver fade or silver ombre barware are made by Vitreon Queen’s Lusterware, ltd. 

Vitreon Queen’s Lusterware, Ltd. was started by Sidney Sigety.  His home and business was based in Brooklyn, NY.  Queen’s Lusterware’s heyday was in the mid 50’s and 60’s, the same era as Dorothy Thorpe.  Queen’s Lusterware features the signature ‘silver fade’ or ‘silver ombre’ effect on glassware.

Lusterware or Lustreware (respectively the US and all other English spellings) is a type of pottery, porcelain or glassware with a metallic glaze that gives the effect of iridescence, produced by metallic oxides in an over glaze finish.  Silver, gold and copper were commonly used until the 1800’s until a new silver lustre was employed.  A new metal called platinum.    John Hancock of Hanley invented the application of a platinum technique and put it in practice at Spode’s manufactory about 1800.  Very dilute amounts of powdered gold or platinum were dissolved in aqua regia and added to spirits of tar for platinum and a mixture of turpentine, flowers of sulfur and linseed oil for gold.

Queen’s Lusterware is a mid-century modern barware essential.