This Beach Discovery Unlocked a Forgotten Treasure
August 28, 2024
Source: Reddit
It is something which makes one feel good to take a walk on the beach feeling the sea breeze on one’s hair and enjoying the sound of waves crashing on the shore. This is something which has been experienced by many people and can be associated with childhood vacations in the 60s or family outings in the 80s. The beach is full of wealth and one is never to know what they will find; it could be a shell, a piece of wood that has been washed ashore or even a piece of glass that has been shaped by the sea and glitters in the sun like a precious jewel.
One fine day, I was walking along the Jersey shore and found a piece of deep red sea glass which had been shaped and smoothed by the sea water for so many years. All of a sudden, I was taken back to a time when this brightly colored glass was not merely a shard of glass; it was a piece of a whole, attractive and useful set of glass, the Avon Cape Cod glassware.
For many people, the Avon Cape Cod collection brings up the images of family holiday meals at grandma’s home, where the table was beautifully laid and stylish. This pattern was launched by Avon in 1975 and was manufactured up to the early 1990s and was based on the American pressed glass tradition of the nineteenth century. The deep ruby red color that was similar to precious stones became the signature of the collection.
Every single product in the Cape Cod collection, from the glassware to the candle holders, had a beautiful design which could only be properly appreciated when it reflected light. These shapes were not just there for aesthetics and instead symbolised the effort that went into producing glass that could last for many generations of use. For many households these pieces were not only useful but also a reflection of their attitude and a link to the past.
The 1970s and ‘80s were the period when people felt the need to recall the past a lot. In the present world where there is a lot of change and development, a number of individuals sought refuge in the traditional and the classical. The Avon Cape Cod collection which had a Victorian style design allowed people to be in a position to reach out to the past while at the same time being in the present. It made me think of a time when people made time for their families and sat down to eat as a family, not to hurry off to work and set the table out of obligation.
This glassware line also reflects a broader societal trend of the time: The purpose of the need to make life more graceful and also to have a piece of the past in the present. When door- to-door Avon representatives was selling these pieces, they were not merely selling glassware, but a piece of history, a piece of memory and a touch of quality.
Looking at the current state of Avon and remembering how it used to be, one can only think about those colorful and smell-like catalogs that used to be delivered to every home. The Avon lady was a woman who used to come around the neighborhood with her products but also with the feeling of belongingness.
Of course, it is almost impossible to find an intact piece of the Avon Cape Cod glassware in today’s world; even a fragment of it, say, on a beach, may be considered a valuable find from the past. This is a reminder of the aesthetics that we had on our tables and the stories those pieces of art tell. Whether you have been familiar with these items or not, the Cape Cod collection is a great example how the high quality glassware never goes out of style.
When you are holding this piece of sea glass in your hand you can just picture it how it might have been used in some of those family dinners, birthdays, celebrations and other events. Now it is just a fragment and, nevertheless, it keeps the same warmth and the same charm as it had many years ago. Still, there are some things that do not completely fade away from people’s minds.
Avon Cape Cod collection is not only the glassware but a representation of the era when quality and workmanship were of essence and the objects one owned were not just for use but for the many stories they told. Therefore, the next time you come across sea glass, try to consider the many years it has been at the bottom of the sea. Who knows, maybe it will be just a small part of something tremendous, something that at one time adorned the table for a happy family, as did Avon Cape Cod glassware for many of us.