Ironstone is a ceramic invented in the early 1800's. The recipe for making it was invented in 1800 as a new way to produce earthenware and porcelain. But the company went bankrupt and the patent was given to Spode. In 1813 another ceramacist, Charles Mason, registered the patent for what he called "Ironstone". He didn't invent the process or the ironstone recipe ... he's the one who came up with the great name for the material that was invented as a cheaper porcelain-like ceramic.
Also Ironstone doesn't contain iron. Mason, who was clearly an evil genius, named the product "Ironstone" to reinforce how strong the product was and also, rumour has it, to confuse competitors. Mason, made his recipe public to other competitors in the day, explaining the complicated process for preparing the iron slag components that went into his ironstone. Only his recipe was a lie and his product didn't contain any iron at all.
Evil Genius.
When I redid my kitchen last year one of the things I knew immediately was that I was going to start collecting Ironstone bowls. I already have a very real obsession with antique bowls so starting an all new, very specific collection, was all kinds of exciting.
My old collection of bowls is multi coloured which went with my eclectic 1940's kitchen. Red, green, blue and yellow. Great depression era bowls that weren't going to look good in my new kitchen at all. Well I'm sure they'd look good but it wasn't the look I was going for. I wanted more of that calm, Swedish country look. Ironstone it is I decided.
It's white/off white, inexpensive for the most part and relatively easy to find but not so easy that collecting wouldn't be fun. If you can find all the pieces you need or want in one trip to the flea market it kindda takes the challenge out of building a collection.
Since last year I've acquired several bowls, platters and a jug. But I wanted more bowls and in particular I needed a big bowl. Medium sized bowls seem to be easy to find, but the larger ironstone bowls are harder to come by.
So on my latest trip to Christie's Antique Sale I was able to ease the pain of not finding a classic midcentury modern chair by filling bags with Ironstone.
I got 2 gravy boats, a platter and a perfect bowl. Ironstone comes in a variety of whites from blue white to creamy white. I don't love the blueish white, and lean more towards the creamier ironstone. Ironstone also comes in transferware patterns, and yellowware, which are nice but not what I was looking for.
Also when I'm buying Ironstone I look for it to have some character, but not so much character you're afraid to eat out of it.
The gravy boat above (which cost $24) has some mild yellow staining (patina) on the base and body. That's the kind of character I look for.
Crazing is another patina I like to see. Crazing is the very fine cracks in the glaze on the pottery.
And then there's the bowl. The great, big, bowl. This is an unmarked piece of Ironstone, that was the deal of the day at $10. It's apple pie filling sized. Anyone who has ever made an apple pie knows what I'm talking about here.
If I'm going to be perfectly honest with you all I'll also say it's cereal bowl sized.
So my day at Christie's allowed me to add a few good pieces to my Ironstone collection. And french fries to my belly. Every year I eat fries at Christie's. Even when they started to cater to food trend lovers with healthy, organic food, I still eat my french fries and most years I'm only an ounce of embarrassment away from eating a giant turkey leg.
The other thing I do every year at Christie's is buy an egg basket. It's not like a goal of mine every year, but somehow it happens. I buy an antique egg basket. This year I got the mother of all egg baskets as you can see on my island below.
It's a wood egg crate that was used for transporting eggs. It holds almost 150 eggs. If you look at the shelves near the top of the photo you can see the rest of my ironstone collection by the way.
The crate came with the original cardboard separators. I've been looking at these crates for the past few years but they always seemed too big for my kitchen. But when I saw this one for $50 (I got it for $40) in perfect condition I caved and bought it.
So the massive thing is on the counter for now until I decide to switch it out for a different egg holder. Since apparently now I collect egg holders. Really it's one of the reasons I wanted chickens to begin with, because I liked the look of eggs on the counter.
I already know what I'm going to be looking for at Christie's this fall. I want a piece of ironstone that's been mended. They used to mend bowls and platters by stapleing them together. They're always stapled from the back so you can't see the mend, but my dream would be to have a bowl or platter that's mended from the right side so you can see it.
Dream large, Karen. Dream large.
I have no idea when I became this person. I mean I'm O.K. with being the girl who dreams of a perfectly imperfect ironstone bowl, I just don't know when it happened. Probably happened around the same time I gave up my dream of being an evil genius.
Have a good weekend!
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Carswell
I have a few pieces of ironstone - my favourite is a square bowl - I suspect it is a covered vegetable bowl because there appears to be a lip around the edge to hold a lid which, sadly, I do not have. Regardless, I love that bowl, the size and colour (the creamy white) and I use it often.
I covet that big bowl and those two gravy boats. How lovely they are. I note that you have discerned that ironstone is particularly appealing when paired with silver plate (the bowls in the tray on the island). I have an obsession with that stuff. It's a good thing I don't mind polishing it.
Tigermom
I love that your kitchen is looking less new and more cultivated. Not that it wasn't gorgeous new, there is just something comforting about being able to tell it is habituated in. (That's some really big words for such a grammatically incorrect sentence, eh?)
Still love the wall pig head and the duck feet bowl and the stacked iron piggies and the graceful curves of those gravy boats are fabulous. I have a weakness for creamy white. The walls in my house and my kitchen cabinets are a custom white I had mixed that is the exact color of half and half. I will never tire of it and I get sick of just about everything else after a while.
Jody
Are you sure Ironstone is not made from iron. It sure looks like rust to me at the bottom of the gravy boat. Just kidding but what does cause the staining?
jainegayer
I make apple pies so yes, it is the perfect bowl for all those apple slices. Its a beautiful bowl! And I love the old truck on the shelf. I've been looking for one to stuff with bottle brush Christmas trees.
Beckie
Great finds!
Just a caveat, though: be wary about using old pieces that have crazing where the food will be.
Depending on the extent of the crazing, old food can accumulate in the tiny cracks and remain there even after cleaning. It is also possible for chemicals in the glaze or pottery itself to leach out into food, which, oftentimes will include lead if the piece is older.
It's not an issue if you have say bread or potato chips in a dish, but from something "wet" or liquid.
My mom got quite ill several years ago, something like the flu, but not. It would come & go in waves. Finally, some smart doctor put it together and realized the old pottery mug she had been using was the culprit. She stopped using her mug and her "illness" went away.
~Beckie
*the one with more dishes than any person has a right to own*
Karen
That's true Beckie. What's interesting about the gravy boat (and a lot of pieces I find) is the crazing is only on the outside, not the inside. I'm not sure why that happens. ~ karen!
Jane P
You got some awesome finds! I'm always on the hunt for Ironstone with crazing…some girls have booth's full of it! Gotta love the hunt!
Maria
More pics of the island please. What can be seen is gorgeous! If you have to, take picture bits then piece them together to show it all.
I've never heard of repairing pottery by stapling it together. Must google that for an image :) You know, you could demonstrate that for us by using an old bowl (not antique of course). Just a thought :)
What/how are you using to hang the rolling pins on the wall?
Karen
Maria - Those are antique French curtain tie backs. A friend gave them to me years ago and I knew I'd use them for something great one day I just didn't know what. When I redid my kitchen I knew right away how I'd use them. :) ~ karen!
Maria
Call me dense ::sigh:: Love the tie backs, but how are the rolling pins attached to the tie backs? I've enlarged the picture and it appears as if there is some kind of 'hook' between the handle and the tie back. Did you attach a small cup hook to the wood handle? I don't think so because besides being sacrilegious it would/could interfere when you're rolling out dough. I don't see a hole in the handles, and the one without handles I seen nothing attached to it to attach to the tie back ::sigh:: Just wondering. Thank you for answering. And love the egg crate!!
Karen
Hi Maria. I did indeed screw little eye hooks into the ends of the pins. It doesn't bother me at all either in terms of sacrilege or dough rolling. You don't even know they're there. :) ~ karen!
Maria
Ah, thank you for the answer. I have to go to the wall since I am extremely limited in storage/counter space. You've provided an answer.
Kim
Great finds Karen! I also covet your drawers lol Have a great weekend!
IRS
The ironstone does not arouse covetous desires to well up in my heart, but that iron pig in the fourth photo does. Must. Have. That. Porker. Seriously, I am coming to get it. Does your house have an alarm?
Sherry in Alaska
So I'm guessing that almost 150 eggs is 12o eggs. Commonly know as 10 dozen?
And I'm guessing from the size and shape that the large and beautiful ironstone bowl is the basin half of a washstand set. What a great find! What a great price! But the killer is your wonderful island. Absolutely perfect.
I've sort of discarded a number of blogs lately but you are a treat every time you post.
Enjoy your weekend.
Karen
Glad to hear I made the cut Sherry! :) And I understand. I only read 2 other blogs myself. ~ karen
Cred
Looks like each flat holds 36 eggs- if there's four flat, that would be 144 eggs (almost 150) or 12 dozen.
Love that egg holder, I would never have the space for it. But I am notorious for buying beautiful things that I don't have room for. But that's why I love the functional stuff. And I also love the look of eggs on the counter. I have a wire egg basket for mine- no chickens but for now I get eggs en masse from my BIL. But we have now have 8 ducks (supposedly 6 hens and 2 drakes, but time will tell), I'm gonna need a bigger boat... Well, basket.
I love the kitchen shots, it seems it's been awhile since we've seen much of your lovely kitchen.
Suzan
Ironstone is evil. Before you know it the stuff just multiplies until you buy an entire hutch just to house it. And then you fill up an antique trunk with it and have it sitting on tables in the living room and counters in the bathroom and even on the night table next to your bed. Or maybe that's just me...
MissChris SA
Love love love the egg crates - we don't have things like that here - or sales like Christies! Sob!
Karen
Where's here? ~ karen!
Miss Chris SA
Soutb Africa Karen
Kathleen
Love the large bowl you bought. It would double up as an awesome pasta bowl too, not just for preparing apple pie filling!
Love your kitchen, Karen.
Have yourself and awesome weekend.
Grammy
I was enchanted with that large ironstone bowl until I noticed the drawer front on your island. That is a breathtakingly beautiful piece of furniture from that angle, and now I'm going to be upset because you usually don't photograph from that side. I won't be able to think about anything else for awhile.
You bought the best stuff at Christie's. I have one ironstone gravy boat and it's one of my favorite things. Beautiful that you have such a lovely collection of that creamy white goodness.
Karen
LOL. That's what Becky just said. I didn't even really notice the drawer when I took the shot. I'll try to get another shot of the island from that side, but because of where it is in the kitchen it's really hard to photograph it. That's why you don't see that side often. ~ karen!
Becky
In the pic of the brick wall with the rolling pins, is that drawer part of the island?? How did i not realize how perfectly worn it is? I am in love with that drawer.
Seriously, that could possibly be the most perfect picture in the history of kitchen pics.
Karen
Hi Becky! Yup, that's part of the island. It's an antique store counter. Below the two drawers are two sliding wood doors. Because of how close it is to my cupboards it's hard to get a photo of that whole side of it. It's a pretty great island! ~ karen
Sarah
Do I spy slightly drooping Lack shelves holding your Ironstone? I have 4 white Lack shelves - and all slope downward from the wall! I haven't cared enough to figure out how to fix it. But if you came up with a great fix, I'd very much appreciate it! ;-)
Karen
That's funny! It does look droop in the photo. No, it isn't droopy but it does sit about 1/4" below the other shelf. Not quite even. Maybe 1/8th of an inch which makes it droopy looking in the pic. ~ karen!
Michelle
I love ironstone too! I have several nice pieces and am always looking when I visit thrift stores and estate sales.
Robert
Why did you gave up your dream of becoming an evil genius? That's one of the things you should never give up on
Glo
I can't believe I'm first to comment! Beautiful collection of ironstone - you always find the most interesting things to collect. Also love your kitchen!
Karen
Thanks glo! ( you somehow ended up being second to comment ) :/ ~ karen!
Mary
I have two of those egg crates in my garage. They were used by my Uncle's mother to sell eggs. Since I don't have chickens (one day, I hope I will) and not enough counter space, they are waiting for my creativity to kick in. Love yours!
cheryl seals
WOW Lucky you Mary you have two of those lovely egg crates, they are awesome... For anal people who collect white ironstone an don't like the crazing (i for one do) you can actually soak the pieces in bleach an it will seep into the crazing an make them white again , some times they don't all come out...I learned this a long time ago from another antique dealer, she said she had people who liked the ironstone but not the crazing..I attempted this with a piece or two that i was selling an it does work, but decided if they didn't like the crazing they could do it themselves because many people won't buy like Karen unless it has the patina of these lovely cracks in it...