Makers, Periods & Styles Library

Is a more colloquial name for pure or clear quartz which is the second most abundant mineral to be found in the Earth’s crust. The term ‘rock crystal’ is derived from the ancient Greek work for ‘ice’ (‘krustallos’) since when they found it in caves near Mount Olympus, the Greeks thought they had found...

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona – is a specific model of self-winding watch produced by Rolex, the renowned Swiss watch manufacturer. It was created in 1961, inspired by racing car drivers and named after the iconic race held at Daytona Beach in Florida that Rolex sponsored. It was said to be the favourite watch of...

Is an American ceramics company created in 1880 by Maria Longworth Nichols Storer in Cincinnati, Ohio. The first Rookwood Pottery was in a renovated school, with Mrs Storer naming it after her father’s country estate. Her first wares were produced on Thanksgiving Day of 1880. Rookwood Pottery was designed to be...

Rosewood is a type of wood with a distinctive grain with black and dark brown outlines It has a rich warm reddish brown colour. Rosewoods can vary from one variety to another even though they belong to the same species. It is a hardwood, native to India, South-East Asia and Brazil. It is notorious for […]

The Royal Doulton Company was an English stoneware company set up in 1815 and is still in existence today producing tableware, giftware, porcelain, jewellery, glassware, collectables, linens, curtains and lighting. The company started as a partnership between John Doulton, John Watts and Martha Jones who set up a...

Is the brand name of porcelain manufactured by Duxer Porzellanmanufaktur in Duchov in the Czech Republic. It became well known for its Art Nouveau figures, candlesticks, highly decorative vases and bowls. The company was founded in 1853 and was bought by Eduard Eichler a very successful model-drawer in 1860...

Describes a style of porcelain that has a particular decorative style that draws on paintings and sculpture of the Renaissance with strong elements of Greek Classicism. The wares are highly decorated, sometimes with gilding and elaborate border designs and sometimes Ormolu or Metal Mounts to complement the superbly...

Is thought to be the oldest or second oldest remaining English porcelain brand still in existence and it vies with Royal Crown Derby which claims a founding date of 1750 as opposed to the 1751 start date for Royal Worcester. Dr John Wall and William Davis developed a unique porcelain production method and managed...

Was produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St. Petersburg from 1744. It was established by order of Empress Elizabeth whose father Peter the Great had seen Meissen porcelain at the Dresden court. The secret of hard-paste porcelain was a highly kept secret, but Dmitry Ivanovich Vinogradov, a mining engineer,...