I actually used a different recipe, identical except for the amount of gelatine. It used twice the amount and was published in a Townsville paper. I assume the extra gelatine was needed due to the climate, but was quite a firm set.
One problem with pressed glass is that it’s made in a mould. Once the die is cast, it’s form is fixed. Some patterns are popular and can be made for years, but if fashions change there is little you can do. You can change the colour of the glass, or you can change it’s name.
Recently I bought quite cheaply a set of four of these Jelly glasses (Pictured above holding homemade port wine jelly) made by the Crown Crystal Glass Co of Sydney. Made from thick and good quality glass, although they have a slightly sharp seam line around the foot.
They are from the 29 series, a pattern termed by collectors as “petaloid”. The 29 series appeared between 1926 and 1929, and the glass seen pictured below is from a 1932 catalogue.
Crown Crystal “Petaloid” custard cup from a 1932 catalogue.
Crown Crystal, interestingly called it a custard, despite it’s closer resemblance to a jelly glass. But the story doesn’t end there.
I don’t know when Crown Crystal discontinued the 29 series, but when they did, they must have kept at least some of the moulds. I had read somewhere that Crown Crystal in their later years would sometimes pull old patterns out of storage and put them back into production.
We see an example of this when in a 1966 catalogue we the same glasses being sold for serving the most 60s of appetisers, the prawn cocktail!
There may be no way to tell when my set was made, but I think I’ll stick to serving jelly in it.
