Always Grab This Gold-Lined Glassware When You See It At The Thrift Store

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Gold is not always the harbinger of luxury that it may seem. Too much of it becomes garish even at the highest quality. Cheap imitations are quick to lose their luster. But tasteful little touches of the good stuff signal just the right dose of elegance, and the gleaming Canella line of barware once produced by Culver Ltd. has just the right amount of flash. 

These kingly pieces are characterized by their gold cloaks, featuring a lattice-like pattern, which might seem like a bit much amid a whole metallic color scheme but will shine just right amid the other materials that might make up your home bar. These rocks and highball glasses, ice buckets, and punch bowls can also sell for hundreds on resale sites, so if you happen to spy them for any less at the thrift store, you've scored.

Some Canella items look as though they're wearing particularly lavish armor, while others have a daintier, painted effect. Most were manufactured with real deal, 22-karat gold between the 1950s and '80s, so their numbers can only dwindle in perpetuity. So, like the vintage Pyrex you might also find secondhand, these could become modest little investment pieces.

Just like when you're aiming to authenticate that aforementioned vintage Pyrex, for example, there is one small but obvious sign to look out for when identifying Canella glassware. If a convincing enough candidate is stamped with the Culver name, which might be obscured amid the design or more obviously situated like a trademark, it's more likely to be the real deal. Some were unfortunately manufactured without this assertive branding, which will make them harder to confirm, particularly to a novice. If the buy becomes more than just a serendipitous mini-splurge, you might want to confer with an expert.

Whether you've nabbed a classic Canella or a convincing knockoff, that gold requires a little special care and attention. Add this glassware to the list of things you should never put in the dishwasher; hand wash these babies with a soft cloth and mild dish soap to keep the precious materials from flaking. We are huge proponents of using the nice things you have, but it might also help to avoid transferring highly pigmented lipsticks whenever possible to reduce scrubbing. And even more importantly, keep the steel wool or any other scratchy cleaning tools far away from these and your other finest vessels.