Kathys Animal and Bird Figurines: November 2009

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Swarovski Releases 2009 Christmas Kris Bear

Swarovski has released their 2009 Kris Bear just in time for the holiday. Just over 1" tall, he's holding 4 stars, 2 red, and 2 gold. He has black crystal eyes and nose. He's also engraved "2009" on his leg.

The designer is Elisabeth Adamer. Model number is 1006048. Price: $95.00. Swarovski.com

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Enesco Company Expands in 2009

The decorative collectibles company, Enesco, has had a banner year in 2009. Look at these companies they either acquired or partnered with just this year. Here's their breakdown according to their Press Releases

10.23.09 Enesco partners with The Trail of Painted Ponies

04.24.09   Enesco Acquires Department 56 from Lenox

04.21.09   Enesco Agrees to Acquire Charming Tails Brand

01.05.09   Enesco signs licensing agreement with My Souls Window brand

01.01.09   N.C. Cameron Changes Name to Enesco Canada

The following are the brands that Enesco owns a license to:

Heartwood Creek® by Jim Shore, Department 56®, Pooh & Friends®, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer®, Boyds Bears®, Our Name is Mud®, Lilliput Lane™Gund®, Walt Disney Classics Collections®, Disney Traditions™, Bob Olszewski’s Gallery of Light™, Thomas Kinkade®, Border Fine Arts™, Charming Tails®Foundations®, Disney®, Circle of Love®, Cherished Teddies®, Country Artists®,
Bilston & Battersea Enamels®, and internationally: Willow Tree® and Precious Moments®.

Glossary ~

Porcelain
Usually white or light gray in color, porcelain is the highest quality of ceramic ware there is. Composed of clay, feldspar and flint, it is very durable despite the fact that it can appear quite delicate, and is fired at a very high temperature

Bone China
Bone china is a type of porcelain made from clay mixed with bone ash and is characterized by its strength, translucency and warm white color. It fires at a lower temperature than true porcelain.

China
Also known as kaolin, is a white soft clay derived from the decomposition of granite. China clay stands up to high temperatures in the kiln.

Ceramic
Made by shaping and then firing clay, a nonmetallic mineral, at a high temperature in which it produces a hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant product.

Back Stamps ~

Limited edition (LE): A decorative collectible may be limited by a specific, announced number (such as 5,000 or 10,000) or by time period. Limited edition items typically show two sets of numbers, usually on the base of the item. The higher number indicates the total number produced while the lower number indicates which one you have. Limited editions often come with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).

Firing limit: Companies such as Avon, Bing & Grondahl, Bradford Exchange, Franklin Mint, Danbury Mint, Hamilton Collection, Knowles, and Royal Copenhagen and others can choose to set a firing limit, meaning that they only make an item during a specified number of firing days. A series of items with a lower firing limit typically has fewer items produced, which often makes the item more desirable to collectors.

Annual edition: are produced for one year.

Open edition: are not limited and could still be in production