Why You Don't Need To Worry About "Reproduction" Marble Fruit

Why you don't need to worry about "reproduction" marble fruit is that there isn't such a thing!

Italian Marble Fruit has been in continuous production by members of the same family since the early 1900's...




So there is just new, less new, older, even older, and the oldest marble fruit.

Even the oldest marble fruit isn't older than 80 or 90 years old. Some American Country dealers believe that it is older, antique even, but that isn't true.

Most Italian Marble fruit was imported during the 1950's.




Can you tell the difference? Sometimes, yes, sometimes, no. That's pretty definite, isn't it???????




"Reproduction" to me means made to deceive. New marble fruit is just new marble fruit.

It isn't currently being made to deceive anyone.




Marble is a soft material so the dings and bangs that vintage marble fruit have can be an indication that the fruit has some age.




The thing you should take into account when buying marble fruit is more "Does the piece speak to you."

Do you like it's surface, it's coloration, it's shape, and it's patina.




For a while Italian Marble Fruit was the "IT" collectible in the American Country field. Prices were SKY high. At that time you would have wanted to know that the marble fruit you were buying was OLD...




But, prices are now again reasonable. So reasonable that vintage marble fruit is less expensive than new.

Here is a website for price comparison! Look at those prices! Yikes!!!!!!!!

I am linking these Italian marble fruit buying tips to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm.





My Etsy Shop, anythinggoeshere

Photo Techniques

I have been working to improve my Etsy shop photographs!



Love how this photograph turned out~ playing with lighting and props!


Come by anythinggoeshere, and see what's new.

Photo Shot Props

Just sharing a photo of my "etsy photo shot set-up"... with props. Props for shots. Shot props. You get the idea. I have been spending too many hours on the computer. This is decidedly like having a job!!!!!!! Including the part about working on weekends.

It is lovely here in Chicagoland today, and Mr. Anything Goes Here and I are getting ready for a second pass at a local Estate Sale sweeping up last minute bargains.

Update~ Back from the Estate Sale, and believe it or not, the big scores were two boxes of used shipping boxes for a couple of dollars~ shipping boxes new can be expensive, and I am totally into recycling so SCORE!!!!!! It doesn't take much to make me happy!!!!!!!

My Etsy Shop~ anythinggoeshere By The Numbers

Several of my readers have asked how my Etsy Shop, anythinggoeshere, is going.

Here is it "by the numbers" for my first month of business:

Number of items I have listed for sale~ 220

Number of items sold~ 110

Number of people who have named me a favorite~ 94

Number of days it took until my first sale~ 1

Number of hours I have spent on the computer~ Countless

I am getting out of town!

I am packing my bags...


Grabbing my favorite summer hat....

And making a break for it. How about you? What do you have planned for your weekend?????????

I DID IT!!!!!! And more of the marble fruit story

In my last post I told you that my goal was to list 50 items in my new Etsy shop, anythinggoeshere by August 1.

I did it~ with time to spare so I thought I'd take a break and continue the marble fruit story....

With some pictures from my readers and more of my marble fruit.

Over the years I have sold a lot of marble grapes. They are not my favorites. But years ago if I had seen a picture like this, I would have changed my mind.



Scroll down the sidebar of the beautiful blog, For The Love Of A House, and you will see this wonderful picture of an old urn full of vintage marble grapes. Scattered though her blog you'll see other pieces from her collection.

I did list a bunch of vintage marble grapes in my Etsy Shop, anythinggoeshere, if you're inspired to start your own collection.




Here is a story by Thoughts From Meme's Corner about her vintage miniature marble fruit collection with a family connection.




I have purchased vintage marble fruit from a Navy Wife so I think you'll enjoy this post from Daydreamn World.




These are two of the photos from Jesse Walker's Country Decorating where she featured my vintage marble fruit collection.




Marble fruit is still being made in Italy! The new fruit is usually more expensive than vintage. It has a flatter-looking paint surface. Also, there isn't the variety there is in the old pieces.

If you have any questions leave them in the comments. If you would like me to feature your vintage marble fruit let me know.




Update~ Several of my readers have asked about buying more marble grapes after being inspired by the first picture in this post. So I have added some more in my Etsy Shop, anythinggoeshere. Link is below.


Back to the shop... come by and visit it here. I am photographing and listing like crazy to get a full shop for your shopping pleasure. Let me know what you think!

What did I pick from that fabulous sale??????

Here is the answer to the question from my last post~

I bought all those wooden boxes from the Type Metal Company.

And, I bought pounds of old books.

Finally, I bought many baskets~ flower and picnic.






The picture is from another weekend bulk purchase.... buttons, and more buttons! I have spent the last two days playing with my buttons getting them ready to sell.

What volume purchases can't you resist??????

It Was Antiquing Heaven

The weather was beautiful. I was driving down a rural Wisconsin road and turned into a winding tree-lined lane. Then there was an opening in the trees. I see ANTIQUES everywhere. HEAVEN!

The Estate Sale of antiques dealer!

This is part of what I saw~ and it was already the second or third day of the sale. Business was brisk so I can't imagine how much there was when the sale started.








A lineup of baskets and chairs.




Old books~ about a quarter of what was there.




Wooden boxes~ the two stacks were from a Chicago Company.




Frames and pictures piled everywhere.




The baby buggy parking lot~ seven buggies had already sold.




Small antiques of many different kinds.

I like to buy in volume.

I bought hundreds of mini-sized Vintage Sheet Music . I have added some to my online shop, The Anything Goes Here Marketplace.

Can you guess which other three categories I purchased in volume?

My Stone aka. Marble Fruit and Country Living Magazine: Part 2,

Several readers emailed and asked me to post the article about my Vintage Marble Fruit in Country Living Magazine.

So here it is from Country Living Magazine, November 2001. It is from the front of the magazine where Country Living features collections.

You can click on the picture, and you might be able to read the article.

Google knows Stone Fruit as Marble Fruit so I am using both terms in this post.

Google says Stone Fruit~ American Country antiques dealers say Stone Fruit. They are the same thing.





A couple of notes about the photos. All the fruit is Vintage Stone Fruit.

The pear slice is a rare oversize "Split" in Vintage Stone Fruit vernacular.

The chickens are handmade wooden weather vanes from the top of a farm shed. The shed was on one of the last farms in the town of Lake Forest. The farm was sold and divided in the early 1990's.

The yellow bowls are old yellow ware.~ another of my collections. The fruit and these bowls are on a 1790's blue pewter cupboard.


Next I will be showing you more photos from my collection. And I will be sharing some photos from my readers of their collections.
Do you have any questions about Stone/Marble Fruit?

Country Living Magazine and My Stone Fruit

If I am known for anything it is my collection of Stone Fruit. My collection was featured in Country Living Magazine in November 2001. Later it was featured in the wonderful book Jessie Walker's Country Decorating.

So I was thrilled this week to find some additional pieces.



Stone Fruit was.... and still is... made in Italy.




It isn't really stone... rather it is marble.




First made around 1900 it is often shown with other "Country" decorations...




But, the heyday of it's popularity was the 1950's when it was used with other Italian decorating items...cream colored furniture, gilt mirrors, marble lamps, and tole.




I am drawn to the wonderful colors, great paint surface, and robust presence!

More about Stone Fruit in my next post.