This guide is meant to help you learn about depression glass. I'll cover the things I learned that I wished I knew when I started, things that can help you have more fun and be more confident with your glass.This particular piece is the American Sweetheart pattern by MacBeth Evans. You can see the pretty design on the sides of the bowl and in the center. This design is raised. This is a type of pressed glass so the design was created by the glass mold, not by cutting or etching afterwards.
Something you probably already know is that depression glass was mass produced. That means that most of the pieces are consistent in the designs and usually shapes. You can find some oddities or pieces the glass workers altered by hand, but with mass production the product is identical. I remember it threw me for a loop when I'd find a pattern that was close but not the same as glass I had. I would wonder why they didn't just make the curlicue this other way, how could we be sure that the pattern looked only this one way. One day the light bulb went off and I realized that (drum roll please) This Stuff Is Mass Produced So It is Consistent! So yes, you can reliably identify patterns. Depression glass is not fine art but it is beautiful!
