Chalet “fingertip” forms
One of the most distinctive and sought-after Chalet shapes are the “fingertips”. There are 5 “finger” styles in the heavy leaded glass – a vase, a horizontal centerpiece, a bowl, a platter centerpiece, and a 2-butt ashtray. We have also found some unique shapes. Every form has 12 “finger” pulls and appears to have been made in only one size – with slight variations due to being hand formed.
Platter rear left, vase centre, bowl rear right, ashtray front left and horizontal centerpiece front right. These “fingertips” from the collections of 50 Shades members Troy Danby and Deborah Patterson.
There is also a “finger tip” hand molded bomboniere Production #1011. It is shown here (left foreground) with 3 of the heavy leaded hand worked pieces. It has only 8 pulls as well as being hand molded not hand formed. For more details on the bomboniere, please refer to the article Chalet and “Similar yet Different” bomboniere.
The “fingertips” range from scarce to exceedingly rare and we have found 2 totally unique pieces to date as well. Overall, the pieces are done in the typical range of Chalet colours and a few styles in uranium and four different 2 tone combinations.
The fingertip ashtray is exceedingly rare. It has been found in olive, blue and orange and a two-tone. To date, it has only been found in this elongated shape and a 2-butt configuration. The ashtray is typically about 10” in length, 4-5” in diameter and 4” in height. The 2 butt rests are at the narrowest part in the middle of the piece – not at the ends. At each end of the ashtray are 6 pulls in varying lengths.
This is exceedingly rare.
This lovely olive pair of etched ‘Chalet Canada’ ashtrays are 10” in length as well but wider than the orange one shown above. They have a 5” diameter. From the collection of 50 Shades member Cindy Bishop-Laughlin.
The fingertip bowl is rare. Seen more often than the ashtray but not as often as the vase or platter. It has been found in amber, blue, olive, orange and a very scarce red/orange. It is also one of the forms that has been found in 2 tones (blue/green and cranberry/blue) which are exceedingly rare for this form. The bowl form has not yet been found in uranium.
It is typically about 15” in length, 13” in diameter and 5” in height. The basin of the bowl is somewhat elevated from the base. There are no “butt rests” along its rim. There are 1 set of 3 pulls where there is always 1 exaggerated pull – it is higher and arched and pulled back toward the middle of the piece. As you can see in the photo below, the height of this pull varies from bowl to bowl. The height at the exaggerated finger pull on the olive bowl is 6” while the height on the red/orange dish is 7” at same point. This form is sometimes confused with the platter form but please note there are differences in width, height, base elevation, pull configuration between the 2 forms.
These 2 fingertip bowls from the collection of 50 Shades member Troy Danby.
This photo really shows the pulls on the bowl form well. There are always one grouping of 3 (at the left in this picture) and this is where the exaggerated pull is consistently found. The other 9 pulls are arranged in a circular pattern after a slight separation. The dish height on this particular bowl at the extended finger pull is 9”. So, again different from the bowls shown above.
From the collection of 50 Shades member Cindy Bishop-Laughlin.
From the collection of 50 Shades member Cindy Bishop-Laughlin. The other 2 tone combo the bowl has been found in is the cranberry/blue that Chalet often used.
From the collection of 50 Shades member Michael Flink.
The horizontal fingertip centerpiece is extremely rare. It has been found in olive, blue and orange. It is also one of the forms that has been found in a very rare 2 tone. The centerpiece is typically about 16-19” in length, 5-6” in diameter and 6-7” in height. At each end of the piece are 6 pulls in varying lengths.The small piece in the foreground is addressed further below.
From the collection of 50 Shades member Deborah Patterson.
From the collection of 50 Shades member Cindy Bishop-Laughlin.
The fingertip platter centerpiece is scarce in the whole context of Chalet products but one of the most commonly seen of the fingertip forms specifically. Oddly enough, it is typically found in the orange/red and aqua uraniums. It is also seen every now and then in the cranberry/blue 2 tone colour combination. Very interestingly, it is virtually never ever found in a solid colour – any solid colour. The only solid coloured platter that we know of, at present, is the amber shown below. As noted above, this form is sometimes confused with the fingertip bowl. As with all Chalet stretch pieces, there are variations in size and weight between individual platters.
Aqua uranium platter has a 15” diameter, amber has a 16” and the orange uranium has a 16 ½” diameter. All are roughly 6” in height. From the collection of 50 Shades member Deborah Patterson.
The fingertip platter is best displayed on a plate stand – size allowing. The 16 ½” orange uranium one shown above is too large to sit securely in the style of plate stand I prefer to use.
50 Shades member Richard Bautista has knocked it put of the park by using his platters in one of his Christmas displays.
From the collection of 50 Shades member Deborah Patterson.
Let’s examine the differences in design between the fingertip platter centerpiece and the bowl since there has been some confusion.
Gold platter from the collection of 50 Shades member Deborah Patterson. Red/orange bowl from the collection of 50 Shades member Troy Danby.
They are 2 distinct forms – the only design similarity is that each have 12 finger pulls – a commonality shared with the other fingertip forms so this is not significant. The platter is a triangular shape with 3 groupings of 4 pulls. Unlike the pulls of the bowl, the platter pulls are all at a uniform height with none being pulled up and inward. It has a wider diameter than the bowl, a very shallow basin and its base is less elevated and more integrated into the body of the piece. Typically, it is not found in solid colours. It is most commonly found in the uranium colour combinations and in the cranberry/blue 2 tone. As mentioned earlier, the bowl has 1 grouping of 3 with 1 of the pulls being much higher than the others. The other 9 pulls are arranged in a continuous circular arrangement. It has a deeper basin and more elevated base than the platter. To date, it has not been found in uranium but has been found in the cranberry/blue 2 tone colour combination. It is most typically found in common solid colours from the Chalet palette.
The fingertip vase is the most often seen of the fingertip forms. And in a plethora of solid colours, in four different 2 tone combinations, in cranberry and in both the aqua and orange/red uranium colour combinations. Solid colours in which it has been found are olive, gold, amber, blue, orange and red/orange.
An olive fingertip party of 3 –horizontal centerpiece (background right) and olive vase (foreground right)from the collection of 50 Shades member Deborah Patterson. Olive bowl (left foreground) from the collection of 50 Shades member Troy Danby.
the colour saturation of this vase is incredible. From the collection of 50 Shades member Cindy Bishop-Laughlin.
Even rarer cranberry.
There is a range in their height and diameter – vases are typically from 7” in height and diameter up to 10” inches in height and 8” in diameter.
A good illustration of differing heights and diameters. The gold, uranium orange and 2 tone cranberry/green are 7” in height with a 7” diameter while the olive stands just over 9” high and is almost 8” across.
This is the only cranberry and crystal fingertip vase I have on file. Exquisite workmanship - the colour placement is incredible.
This exceedingly rare vase is from the collection of 50 Shades member Chalane Dastrup Bastian.
To date, we have found both fingertip vases and platters in the aqua and the orange and red uranium combos.
2 tone finger tips. We have found 2 exceedingly rare 2-tone horizontal centerpieces. One in amber green and the second in the blue/green combo. Moreover, as seen above, vases in cranberry/blue, blue/green, cranberry/green, and amber/green. We have also found an exceedingly rare bowl in cranberry/blue and platters in this last colour combo as well. As of yet, we have seen no 2 tone combinations in the 2-butt ashtray.
Exceedingly rare, green/amber centerpiece from the collection of 50 Shades member Kevin Hall.
Another stunner from the collection of 50 Shades member Bob Burgess.
Cranberry/blue vase from the collection of 50 Shades member Jane Casey. Platter from the collection of the Zhao family.
One-of-a-kind fingertip pieces.
Another fingertip bowl form.
The tiny gold dish in the foreground of the photograph below has 12 finger pulls. It is not an ashtray – the rim has no butt rests. As you can see, its size is totally atypical from the larger horizontal centerpieces. At 7” in length, it is also quite a bit smaller than the 10 inch long 2-butt ashtray.
