Utilities Specialties Fiore Ricciardelli, an immigrant from San Pauline, Avellino, Italy, founded Utilities Specialties in 1908 in Jersey City, N.J., first as an electro-plating concern and later as a restaurant ware manufacturer and distributor. He ran the business with two of his four sons: Rudolph, who ran the shop, and Edward, who handled sales. Fiore's youngest son Caesar, who would become the notorious black sheep of the family, resented the fact that after the Depression there was not enough business in the family concern to share with him. At some point he took materials from his father's company and set up a makeshift shop at 141 Railroad Ave., where he began illicitly fabricating lids on his own, hence the few examples that can be found with that location's backstamp below Utilities Specialties. (The third Ricciardelli son in birth order, George, anglicized his name to Richards and worked in sales for General Electric.) The R.L. Polk & Co. directory lists the business' address as 206 Van Vorst Street in its 1925-26 edition. It appears that by 1946 the company had moved into adjacent space and had the 206-208 Van Vorst Street address that is stamped on most of their ware. It was located on the Morris Canal. Slowly the manufacturing part of the business was phased out until only distribution was left in the 1970s. The company was dissolved in 1981. Thanks to Ricciardelli's great-granddaughter Maria Samuelsson for contributing much of this information. Her aunt believes the glass bowls might have been made by Pyrex; Ricciardelli worked closely with Corning Glass when he designed a coffee percolator made by Pyrex. It is not known what company (or companies) made the vitrified clay bowls. |
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Dimensions: 5.5" x 3.5"
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Came in two sizes: 5 5/8" x 3 1/2" and 4 5/8" x 3". The finish is slightly marbled -- though it's impossible to tell if this is from wear and washing -- and it definitely has a pearlized sheen/lustre that is unique among flip glazes. The wear suggests that the lustre-like glaze was low-fire and has not held up well over time. Backstamp was either Utilities Specialties Co. Inc., Jersey City, N.J., or as below:
The one seen below left and in detail below has the most unusual surface design of all in that it appears to be mauve and green marbled. This is the large size with a backstamp that says: Utilities Specialties Co. Inc. The stamp on the lid is similar to the one above, but looks smaller.
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 4 5/8" x 2 7/8" Lid stamped Utilities Specialties |
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5 3/4" x 3 3/4" Marked on cover: Utilities Specialties |
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6 7/8" x 4 3/4" Same as above, just larger |
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7 7/8" x 5 1/2" Same as above, but very unusual to find one this large |
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(Note for future in identifying china manufacturer: This company was a known distributor of Hall China. ) |
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5 3/4" x 3 3/4" Marked on cover and bowl: Utilities Specialties |
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