Fenton Samples and One of A Kind Pieces

There are several kinds of sample pieces:

·        The first has to do with the glass itself.:

o       One type is produced when the Fenton factory is testing a new color of glass in an existing mold. They make a variety of pieces in that mold testing the color of the glass and how it looks when finished.  These are sample pieces.

·        The second has to do with the molds:

o       A second can be found when Fenton is testing a turn of glass in a new mold. This is when they are “breaking in” a new mold to see how it reacts to various colors of glass and how the color of glass looks in that shape. These are sample pieces.

·        The Third has to do with decorations on the glass:

o       The designers will select a piece of glass and paint a proposed decoration on  the  piece. Often there will be several decorations by several designers under consideration before the final design is chosen for the Fenton Line.  The decorations not chosen become samples. These are one of a kind pieces.

o       Once a decoration is chosen, then it can be hand painted on to a variety of pieces. Some of the pieces will be chosen for the Fenton line. Others will not.  Those not chosen, become samples. These are one of a kind pieces.

o       Finally, an artist may paint 1 to three samples of the same design for a painted production run. These samples then go to the artists that will be mass painting the pieces, using the sample as a template or guideline.

o       One final note sometimes, the pieces chosen for the Fenton line will eventually end up as samples as well.