| Wednesday, September 08, 2010 | SUBSCRIBE | COMMUNITY LINKS | ADVERTISING INFO | TO REACH US |
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"It began in 1978 while looking for wedding crystal to match my china," Faria recalls. "But I found the clear crystal at that time to be cookie-cutter ordinary. My china pattern looked vintage and I wanted crystal to complement this genre."  A dinner party she attended displayed a lovely table setting with green depression glass goblets. "I was hooked and my quest for DG began. I love to find pieces I can actually use in everyday living. I liken it to 'why should I have the toys and be afraid to play with them' . . . To me, decorating with DG is like dressing my home in precious gem jewelry. . . Their colors add visual art to any Country or Romanesque decorating scheme." When she and her husband, Izauro, designed their home in 1990 they incorporated Depression glass into their plan. Faceted doorknobs are on the pantry and laundry room doors; DG bars hold bath towels and kitchen paper towel rolls; ceiling fixtures and chandeliers shades are DG. "All the cabinetry is fitted with DG knobs. DG is timeless decoration. These are pieces many grandmothers still use to complement fine china for holiday dinners. It's as relevant today as in the 1930s," states Faria. Though born on Faial, Azores, Faria immigrated to San Jose as a baby 50 years ago. She speaks Portuguese and Spanish as well as English. She and Izauro recently celebrated her 50th birthday with daughter, Menina, and son, Joshua. She boasts, "I am proud of them because even though they lived in a 'house of glass' they broke very little over the years, even as children." Depression glass is visible throughout Faria's home office, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and dining rooms. Perfume bottles and saltshakers double as wall hung liquid soap dispensers. Flower frogs or vases transform into scented oil diffusers. Green and pink are this woman's favorite DG colors. Items are often grouped to carry out a particular theme. A green display decorating a garden window over the kitchen sink includes a juicer, eggbeater and measuring cup. Items on a service bar offer a green straw holder, ice bucket, and martini shaker. A green tray holds an English tea warmer and cream, sugar and tea leaf containers.  Pink is prominent in many places, such as a hutch that includes a pink rabbit, candelabra and condiments holder. These complement a china service decorated with pink roses. Especially impressive is a heart-shaped vanity displaying a variety of heart shaped items.  "You'll see a lot of hearts as I cross collect them," Faria explains. Her philosophy pertaining to 10 years as a broker and 27 years with property management experience is, "My clients are the heart of my business - not their homes." When she is "staging" for an open house, she sometimes brings pieces from her DG collection to enhance a dwelling's decor. She points out, "I cross collect hearts, both in pink and green. My motto on my business reads, 'The Realtor® With A Heart'." Even after 28 years of collecting, and acquiring vast knowledge about her passion and the many companies that manufactured DG, Faria says, "There are still pieces I'm searching for . . . About 15 years ago the San Jose Mercury News printed an article about my collection which said I'd pay $300 for a green DG straw holder. That was my response when asked about my then 'holy grail' piece. After the article appeared a lady called and I bought hers . . . Some of the DG items I'm still searching for include an apple green DG 'wall hung' salt box with the wooden flip lid and matching kitchen green DG scoop drawers; also, the pink DG Cambridge desk set that has four triangular pink glass corners for its desk blotter and a pen tray." Mary Faria sums up this avocation that blends with her professional career by saying, "Depression glass makes my heart sing. It's my daily color therapy." She welcomes hearing from fellow collectors through her email address: mary@maryfaria.com. |
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