In July 1851, ‘Hulme & Booth’ founded a business manufacturing earthenware in the centre of the ‘Mother Town’ of The Potteries, Burslem. Little is known about the lives of these two men, but the company was successful for over a decade.
Eleven years later, Frederick Rathbone Burgess and William Leigh took over. Burgess was a man with great business acumen. Leigh had been working in the pottery industry from childhood. Together they built Burleigh Pottery into a large and successful manufacturer of tableware.
As the business continued to grow, the introduction of a new pattern formed from a portmanteau of the founder’s names, ‘Burleigh’, gave rise, in 1903, to a new brand name.
Burleigh Pottery continues to operate on its traditional premises in Middleport Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent.
Although the pattern on this plate has no name that I can find, the 'B' under the backstamp indicates it to have been manufactured under the Wartime Concentration Scheme, whereby severe restrictions were placed on the production of decorated pottery during the war years, in order to save materials, energy and labour.
This gorgeous plate was manufactured sometime between 1941 and 1952.
As with all Goosehouse Designs jewellery, this unique jewellery is individually handcrafted by me in my studio. My upcycled, sustainable, broken china jewellery is crafted from ethically-sourced, pre-damaged, vintage china, that would otherwise end up in landfill. It is the perfect romantic gift for wedding anniversaries, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and any time you want to show your love through a treasured piece of artisan jewellery.
Your Goosehouse Designs jewellery will be sent to you carefully wrapped and packaged using recycled and recyclable materials. I am committed, at all times, to operating my business in every way I can to be kinder and gentler to the planet.
The silver in this pendant is sterling silver, and is stamped with the .925 stamp.
This oval pendant measures 26mm x 20mm x 5mm deep.
The pendant comes with your choice of necklace -
wire collar 46cm/18"
box chain 56cms/22"
link chain 66cms/26"
snake chain 70cms/27"
Burgess and Leigh, BurleighWare, orange flowers oval pendant
The vintage china I use in my jewellery pieces is all recycled from pieces found at garage sales and op. shops, or through vintage dealers, who are happy to pass on some of their less-than-perfect items. I carefully cut out the selected section of china, shape it by hand, then grind the edges nice and smooth. I securely fix the piece into the sterling silver blank, then grout it so it stays firmly in place.
As with all artisan jewellery, some care needs to be taken to keep your piece in as-new condition.
The vintage china in your piece may well be up to a hundred years old, and needs to be treated accordingly. It is not recommended that you swim or shower whilst wearing your jewellery, nor that you wear it gardening or playing sport or any other activity where the item may get badly knocked. China is breakable, after all.
The sterling silver ring and earring hooks are easily adjustable, but care must be taken not to bend them too quickly or too sharply. As with all metals, if they are worked roughly they may break.
The sterling silver bezel will enjoy a regular simple polish with a quality silvercloth. If you do use silver polish, do not get it on the china or the grout. Do not use strong chemicals on your jewellery.