One of the many pretty things we inherited when my husband's parents passed away was this lovely snail. I knew nothing about it at first. But then I came across the little original tag that had come with it and discovered that it was Monterey Jade. It's a beautiful blue/green pottery with an unique glaze that was made by the Monterey Pottery company in the Carmel Valley, and was sold at gift shops located in Monterey and in the wonderful village of Carmel-By-The-Sea. My in-laws used to vacation frequently in Carmel; it was one of their favorite places. I am very fond of this little snail:
I found this beautiful little vase last year at a yard sale - I could not believe it when I spotted it sitting there on the table that had been picked over by many shoppers before me much earlier in the day:
Truly a delightful find; I believe it may have been less than a dollar.
And then, just a couple of weeks ago, I went into one of my favorite thrift shops here in town, and what do you suppose I spotted? Yes, they were sitting there waiting (as if just for me). Two gorgeous tiles:
I know Monterey Jade when I see it, and when I turned them over to look at the price tag, and yes, indeed - this was written on the bottom:
Unlike a large number of the items I find at the thrift stores, these are most certainly NOT for sale.
I love it when one finds something new and learns about it, and then finds more and is able to recognize it right away. Good eye you have.
ReplyDeleteWhat great finds!
ReplyDeleteLove your cute little snail. And your matching finds, but especially the snail, and his history. Love T
ReplyDeleteI've never seen anything marked Monterey Jade - it's beautiful! I will certainly be on the lookout now. I wonder what years it was produced & who the artist/artists were. I love researching stuff I find - the whole history thing. I guess it's part of the "I love vintage" thing. Adorable snail, & great finds on the others Heidi Ann! Thanks for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteWent & did some looking around (of course :- ) saw more pictures of Monterey Jade & I think I just may have two pieces in my space at Folsom! It's not marked but the article I read says that during a period in the 50's it was not marked but marketed as "Carmel-by-the-sea" giftware. Maybe had the little stick-on foil type tags. It's beautiful pottery - I adore the colors & design. Thanks Heidi, I learned something new today!
ReplyDeleteMonterey Jade was done by the Marzi pottery. They started making porcelain sinks then moved to Oregon.
ReplyDeletei used to live in carmel valley near where they made this pottery. i had bought a bathroon sink, shell shaped with tiles to match, a teacup, and a cake platter which is now broken and lost. but i still have the teacup and the little quail, frog, and turle totem, which is very like your snail. yes they are wonderful collectibles. the folks who ran the shop were very nice and i was sad when they shut the shop down. but my folks lived there also for 21 years so we were very familiar with the particular glaze of green, brown, blue and white. at one time the potter explained to me how they did it. fascinating. you are lucky to have these items. many blessings,
ReplyDeleteI have a small vase. It is marked Monterey Jade V3. Does anyone know what the V3 stands for?
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