Finally, after a few fruitless weeks of searching for any hint of what I had found, I posted the pictures on a glass forum and the people there knew exactly what it was. Rambler Rose. What a terrific name! I loved my piece even more because of it.
Then I learned that there were many, many, MANY variations of Rambler Rose, put out by many, many, MANY companies. Tiffin put out a platinum Rambler Rose, which is what some thought my nappy was, but the design looks like what Lotus put out, too. So there are still mysteries involved.
Later, I found another piece with similar etched edging--a Heisey divided dish with another great edge design. This one is tarnished and slightly worn, but equally beautiful in my eyes.
So of course, I was even more intrigued. There are several websites that show the Rambler Rose variations and other edge etchings, and from one of them I think I ID'd this etching as a Wheeling design. (See here) This one is called "Hammer ending Swirls, Arrows and Flowers". A far cry from the wonderful "Rambler Rose"!
There are other early design etchers, such as Lotus, Tiffin, Morgantown, and Dunbar, and at first glance they look similar. But there are distinct differences, and several people are busily cataloging the variations. As soon as I can get permission to show them here, I will. (I don't claim to be an expert at all on these unique etchings--I just like them a lot.)
These two pieces, I believe, are from the 30s or 40s. I would love to hear from anyone who has pictures of other variations or knows anything about them.
