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| INDIAN MANUFACTURERS |
In the early days of carnival glass collecting in Australia little was know about
carnival glass from India. On occasions unusual vases were found, some depicting a fish
with its tail curled around the vase and others depicting a hand grasping the vase,
and for many years they were thought to be of Australian origin. Not until many years later and much research overseas was it discovered that these vases were manufactured in India by the Jain Glass Works which came into being in 1928. The founder of the Jain Glass Works was Shari Chhadamilal Jain and 
they made there first iridised glass in 1935. Manufacturing glass in the style called "Lustre
Glass" was made by the founders son, Bimal Kumar Jain.The logo of the Jain company is a swastika which is a good luck symbol in India since the 1st and 2nd century, meaning "Fortune" or "Happiness". Since this discovery many other patterns and items have been attributed to Indian manufacturers, some of these are tumblers, water pitchers, various shaped vases, lidded jars, shot glasses and beads. Some of the Fish and Hand vases carry the JAIN name, and some with the initials CB or UMM moulded into the glass. The swastika logo is sometimes seen on some Jain items. |
The Fish and Hand vases come in many variations, some fish curl clockwise other anticlockwise,
some have acid frosting yet others are clear, others have a clear band around the top,
others a acid etched pattern. These vase used to fetch big prices when offered for sale but in recent years the prices have fallen dramatically. The most common of the tumblers is the Beaded Spears pattern, however the matching pitcher is still a scarce item to find. 
Many other patterned tumblers have been found, some of these patterns are; Beaded Spears Varient, Banded Moon and Stars, Beaded Mirrors with Etched Flowers, Beaded Panels and Grapes, Shazam, Spice Grater, Brides Banquet, Canary Tree, Celebrations, Crown of India. Shot glasses called Maharajah and Maharanee, have also been discovered, these glasses are only 6 to 7 cm tall. Since the introduction of Ebay new patterns are still being discovered. |