The Gibraltar Pattern, 1977
Designing It
The classic six-panel Libbey Gibraltar design was reportedly inspired by a cut-glass tumbler made by the Baccarat crystal company of France. It is now one of the most common glassware patterns for home and restaurant use.
Making It
Once a design drawing was approved, a wooden model might be made to test the shape and the feel in the hand. A metal mold of the final design was created, so that thousands of glasses of the same pattern could be machine-made. A Lucite acrylic model might be made to preserve the design and as a form for a new metal mold if the original one wears down.
Ad for Libbey glassware designs by Freda Diamond
Although she may not have designed the Gibraltar pattern herself, Freda Diamond (1905–1998) was an influential mentor of younger designers at Libbey Glass in the 1970s. She began working with Libbey in 1941, establishing a program of well-designed machine-made tableware for middleclass America, while at the same time helping to promote the role of women in industrial design. In 1954 Life Magazine named her the “Designer for Everybody.”