This morning I broke my Sesame Street mug.
A moment of inattention and crash - handle smashed. I wrapped it in paper and put it in the bin. Not such a huge deal, I have others - though every piece of broken Crown Lynn is one piece less. On second thoughts I'll glue it together and give it to a charity shop.
When I broke this jug I kept it despite its glued handle because it has an unusual backstamp - Sylvia Blossom Time.
Likewise this little desert bowl, with Classic on the base. I only have one other 'Classic' piece, a cake plate in good condition. Incidentally you also see this same rose pattern with a 'Classic British' backstamp.
Our biggest disaster was when the Topaz plates hit the floor while George was doing a bit of back country driving in our motor home. After I got over the shock I made mosaic planters. We glued the pieces to flat sided terracotta pots then grouted them. They've lasted surprisingly well - about six years so far. I think you would need unglazed pots to make this work, the glue would not stick so well on glaze. Here are my before and after pics.
We love using our Crown Lynn, but there is always the risk of an accident. True, what's gone is gone, but this stuff is history. I wonder how much of our heritage hit the floor in pieces in Christchurch. As well as the dreadful human tragedy there was a huge historic loss.
It makes me very happy to see people making jewellery, mosaics etc out of broken china. And of course if it's a precious item it can be worth getting breakages repaired. I have dealt with Wrightway Studios in Auckland with other family items, not china. They did a good job but the process is not cheap - they will give you a quote first. But expense aside, it can be better than tossing your damaged treasures into the bin.
More next week.
ValM
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