John Deacons
In common with most of the other Scottish paperweight manufactories, the staff behind the John Deacons name circulated around a number of other paperweight making companies before settling at the business which ultimately made their names.
The founding father himself - John Deacons - began at Strathearn Glass in latter part of the 1960’s, and proved so adept during the early part of his career that he was one of those approached to move to Perthshire Paperweights when Stuart Drysdale struck out on his own, cherry-picking the best of those who had worked under him in Crieff.
Such is the constantly evolving nature of the trade that having contributed to Perthshire’s success, Deacons himself determined to make his own way, and started up his own business under the name of J-Glass a decade or so after having been ‘poached’. Deacons was primarily a lover of ‘classical’ paperweights, especially those made in mid 19th century Bohemia, but in order to broaden the appeal of his company’s product range he sought out a lampwork specialist alongside whom he could work. This, it transpired, was to be Allan Scott, a former Perthshire alumnus who had been apprenticed alongside Deacons. The company could now meet the demand for butterfly and flower paperweights, the creation of which was Scott's forte. Deacons and Halls were kept busy producing weights which, for the most part, were exported to the United States, including an opening to the west coast market orchestrated by no less than Larry Selman, one of the foremost names in the business. As was often the case, weights were produced in limited production runs to ensure that there was high demand the instant that a new design was released – though this was, of course, predicated on the fact that collectors new in advance that the items would be of an exceptionally high quality. Unfortunately, the austerity of the early to mid 1980’s did Deacons no favours at all and as high-end demand fell away, insolvency loomed; perhaps a supply of more affordable, commodity weights would have kept the wolf from the door… John Deacons was eventually able to restart production after a hiatus a couple of years or so, but on very much of a ‘cottage industry’ scale, with the quality of outturn remaining very high, but production costs being kept as low as possible to ensure that the paperweights remained within reach for clients. This extended to the facility to produce what were essentially ‘one off’ designs, produced – in true artisan style – in a converted cow barn ! What this does mean is that there is a very wide range of paperweights which carry the John Deacons name – everything from single flowers to intricate bouquets, classic millefiori to facetted double-overlays and from Christmas special editions to facsimiles of 19th century St Louis hand-coolers.
Paperweights which can be attributed to John Deacons may have one of three different "standard' signature canes - a single J cane, a JD cane or an StK cane - the latter standing for St Kilda, a Deacons brand name taken from a Hebridean island; there was also an on-line discussion some years ago which hinted at the use of a StA cane, for St Andrews (an alternate brand name for export items), and of JHD canes, so these are definitely ones to keep an eye out for if you are looking to acquire less common John Deacons paperweights !
A John Deacons Miniature Concentric Millefiori Paperweight c2000
A John Deacons Miniature Concentric Millefiori Paperweight c2000
£30.00
A John Deacons Radial Twist Millefiori Paperweight c2000
A John Deacons Radial Twist Millefiori Paperweight c2000
£30.00
A John Deacons Millefiori Spirals Paperweight 1999
A John Deacons Millefiori Spirals Paperweight 1999
£75.00
A John Deacons Millefiori Butterfly Paperweight 1997
A John Deacons Millefiori Butterfly Paperweight 1997
£170.00
A John Deacons Millefiori Crown Paperweight 1995
A John Deacons Millefiori Crown Paperweight 1995
£140.00
A John Deacons Silhouette Millefiori Rondel Paperweight 2002
A John Deacons Silhouette Millefiori Rondel Paperweight 2002
£190.00
A William Manson Charles And Diana Wedding Limited Edition Paperweight 1981
A William Manson Charles And Diana Wedding Limited Edition Paperweight 1981
£180.00
A John Deacons Millefiori Multicoloured Twists Paperweight c2005
A John Deacons Millefiori Multicoloured Twists Paperweight c2005
£150.00
A John Deacons Aventurine Lampwork Primrose And Butterfly Paperweight 2004
A John Deacons aventurine lampwork primrose and butterfly paperweight from 2004. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£135.00
A John Deacons Blue Pansy Lampwork Paperweight 1994
A John Deacons Blue Pansy Lampwork Paperweight 1994
£135.00
A John Deacons Flowers In The Rain Paperweight c1995
A John Deacons Flowers In The Rain Paperweight c1995
£45.00
A Large John Deacons Clichy Rose Concentric Paperweight c2010
A John Deacons Clichy Rose Concentric Paperweight c2010
£150.00
A John Deacons Stag Silhouette Concentric Millefiori Paperweight c1990
A John Deacons Stag Silhouette Concentric Millefiori Paperweight c1990
£80.00
A John Deacons Flower In The Rain Paperweight c1990
A John Deacons Flower In The Rain Paperweight c1990
£55.00
A John Deacons Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Paperweight 2012
A John Deacons Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Paperweight 2012
£180.00
A Jay Glass Rondel Millefiori Paperweight c1980
A Jay Glass Rondel Millefiori Paperweight c1980
£150.00
A John Deacons Lampwork Flower Paperweight c2006
A John Deacons lampwork flower paperweight from c2006. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£150.00
A John Deacons Three Flowers Lampwork Paperweight 2002
A John Deacons three flower lampwork paperweight from 2002. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£150.00
A John Deacons Millefiori Overlay Butterfly Lampwork Paperweight 2004
A John Deacons millefiori overlay butterfly and flowers lampwork paperweight
£270.00
A John Deacons White Overlay Kingfisher Paperweight c2005
A John Deacons white overlay kingfisher paperweight from c2005. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£265.00
A John Deacon Lampwork Primrose, Millefiori And Latticino Paperweight 2005
A John Deacons lampwork primrose millefiori and latticino paperweight from 2005. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£145.00
A John Deacons Latticino Overlay Lampwork Butterfly And Flowers Paperweight 2003
A John Deacons latticino overlay lampwork butterfly and flowers paperweight from 2003. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£250.00
A John Deacons Lampwork Fuschia Paperweight 2001
A John Deacons lampwork Fuschia paperweight from 2001. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£105.00
A John Deacons Magnum Millefiori Crown Paperweight 2003
A John Deacons millefiori crown paperweight from 2003. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£125.00
A Set Of Four John Deacons Moulded Paperweights c1990
A Set Of Four John Deacons Moulded Paperweights c1990
£120.00
A Set Of Fours John Deacons & St Kilda Paperweights c1990
A Set Of Fours John Deacons & St Kilda Paperweights c1990
£150.00
A John Deacons Lampwork Bird On A Holly Branch Paperweight 2004
A John Deacons lampwork bird on a holly branch paperweight from 2004. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£195.00
A John Deacons Lampwork Bird On A Holly Branch Paperweight 2004
A John Deacons lampwork bird on a holly branch paperweight from 2004. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£195.00
A William Manson Senior Lampwork Clematis Paperweight c1980
A William Manson Senior Lampwork Clematis Paperweight c1980
£175.00
A William Manson Aventurine Candles Paperweight 1979
A William Manson Aventurine Candles Paperweight 1979. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£155.00
A J Glass Butterfly & Dragonfly Paperweight c1980
A J Glass Butterfly & Dragonfly Paperweight c1980
£175.00
A John Deacons Lampwork Flowers Facet Cut Paperweight 2002
A John Deacons Lampwork Flowers Facet Cut Paperweight 2002. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£175.00
A John Deacons Lampwork Flowers Millefiori on Muslin Staves Paperweight 2001
A John Deacons Lampwork Flowers Millefiori on Muslin Spoke Paperweight 2001
£175.00
A Peter McDougall Glass Ltd Lampwork Flower Paperweight c2000
A Peter McDougall Glass Ltd Lampwork Flower Paperweight from c2000. Available from Scottish Antiques online store.
£150.00
A John Deacons Lampwork Trout On The River Bed Paperweight 2001
A John Deacons Lampwork Trout On The River Bed Paperweight 2001. Available from Scottish antiques online store.
£235.00
A John Deacons Faceted Snake on Sand Paperweight c2002
A John Deacons Faceted Snake on Sand Paperweight c2002
£250.00