Thursday, April 11, 2019

A to Z April Challenge: J is for Jewel Tea


This is a continuation of LAST APRIL’s challenge about HEIRLOOMS. When my sister and I cleaned out our parents’ home, we had to make many decisions about what to do with all the stuff. Which things are truly “valuable” and which have only sentiment in their favor? Should we sell it, keep it, or throw it away? To help ensure a future for our family’s heirlooms, I plan to leave a booklet for my daughters telling the stories of what they will inherit one day. (Not TOO soon, I hope!)

is for Jewel Tea. Anyone who has stopped by a flea market or antique shop has no doubt seen the ever-popular Autumn Leaf pattern on dishes, pitchers, mixing bowls, cookie jars, butter dishes, canister sets, salt and pepper shakers, tea and spice canisters, casseroles, what am I forgetting? This pattern was designed by the Hall China Company in 1933 for Jewel Tea, a company that began as a door to door coffee delivery service. Jewel Tea was one of the first companies to offer a full range of dinnerware and accessories.


My two pieces, one mixing bowl and a ball pitcher, belonged to my maternal grandmother. I wonder if she bought them from a traveling salesman. I have vivid memories of my grandmother filling that bowl to the top with her delicious potato salad. Today that same bowl is my favorite to use when serving potato salad. I don’t have any memories of the pitcher in use, but I do bring it out occasionally to serve lemonade or tea.  

Wendy
© 2019, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

14 comments:

  1. How lovely...the pieces and the memories. I have quite a few pieces of Hall including a yellow ball pitcher...also brought out for lemonade and tea.

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    1. I have come to appreciate Hall more and more in recent years.

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  2. That is a pretty pattern! I love that you serve potato salad in it just like your grandmother did.

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    1. Yeah, it's funny how we come to associate an object with how it should be used based on how we remember it.

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  3. I love things that bring back memories of our childhood. And I especially love that you use the same bowl for potato salad.

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    1. Emotional ties are hard to break. In this case, there's no need to break it - just keep it up!

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  4. This is the best A to Z challenge. I am enjoying "all the things" ;-) and going down memory lane!

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  5. I've never heard of these nor have I heard of door to door salesmen selling stuff like this. Did they carry their inventory with them or just a catalog and then the things came delivered by mail? They are a pretty design.

    betty

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    1. That's a good question. I wish I had the answer. I would think something small like tea or coffee could be carried door to door, but the bowls probably were sold by catalog. This is just a guess. Afterall, vacuum cleaner salesmen carried the vacuum cleaner door to door.

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  6. I used to have a couple of little bowls with tis design. Maybe custard cups? They came to me via my mother, who got them from her mother. Unfortunately, they got broken Long ago.

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    1. I can see how a custard cup or ramekin would fall prey to chipping and cracking.

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  7. A wonderful tradition to keep serving your potato salad in your grandmother's bowl.

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    1. It certainly brings up lots of memories about my grandmother.

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