The Chalet “Tornados”

As you know, Chalet did not name their forms – they simply gave them a production number. It is collectors who define and describe the glass in descriptive terms. When I first saw a short Chalet vase with a pronounced crystal swirl from wider top to narrower base, I immediately thought the piece looked like a “tornado.” And since then, the Chalet “tornado” has become one of my favourite designs.

The “tornado” swirl is not limited to the vases. This pronounced heavy crystal swirl (from top to base) design is found on two other forms – bowls and candleholders.

At time of writing, all “tornado” forms found have been solidly coloured. They have not been seen in either a Chalet 2-tone combination or in Chalet’s “cranberry in crystal.”

The olive in this grouping of 5 inch “tornados” was my first “Chalet twister” experience. But you have already seen that it was not my last!

The “tornado” bowl was designed with a heavy crystal swirl tapering from bowl rim to bowl base. Diameter of these bowls ranges from 7” to 14.”

I believe this form was shown on the 1962 “Items Available” page as B34.

This bowl was massive - a 12 inch diameter and weighed over 11 pounds.

Diameters of 7” (honey gold from the collection of Deborah Patterson), 8” (amber from the collection of Ken Brewer), 10” (olive from the collection of Jo Highland) and 12” (orange from the collection of Nicole Giroux-Laplante). One other 12” in amber has also been found - shown above with catalog page insert.

50 Shades member Erin Kinder holds the largest sized (14-inch diameter) “tornado” bowl that has been seen.

The production number for the “tornado” Chalet candleholders is C41.

The “tornado” design and the C44 style of candleholder are both featured on Chalet’s early “Items Available” catalogue page. I have no evidence of their years in production or the numbers produced but, since we see so few of them, I am assuming that these early designs were not in production for very long or done in large quantities.

Amber piece at left holds a candle for Alex Wicks.

This set of early C41 “tornado” candleholders is from the collection of Jonathon Tremblay.

Chalet designs did not remain static. We have seen evolution in many of the forms on the above catalogue page. The C41 style is no exception to this.

Early C41 design #2 and #4 and later styles #1, #3 and #5.

The later style of “tornado” candle holders is slightly taller and with a more elongated body. Typical height and diameter is 4 inches by 4 inches. From piece to piece, there is slight variation.

This set of later C41 “tornado” candleholders is from the collection of Gionny Gueli.

Etched “Chalet Canada.”

The overwhelming majority of the later design “tornado” candleholders are found with the Chalet retailer FASCINATION PAR C.M. etching.

Note the cranberry-coloured set at bottom left – exceedingly rare colouring. The amber candleholders at top right from the collection of Jonathon Tremblay. Blue set at bottom right from the collection of Malla Birns. Signature from one of the holders from this set shown above.

One of the pair from this FASCINATION PAR C.M. etched set has a bonus marking – it retains a country-of-origin sticker. For more details regarding the exporting of Chalet glass and what these stickers denote, please refer to pages 220-226 in “Chalet Crystal Clear Continued.” Information regarding Chalet retailers is found on pages 227-266.

From the collection of Kelly Roberts.

Interestingly, very few “tornados,” unlike the “molar” style of Chalet candleholder, are found with the “Chalet Canada” etching. Or indeed, any other Chalet company branding. The handful of  “Chalet Canada” etched “tornado” candleholders (including the olive set shown earlier) that have been found have all been olive.

From the collection of Deborah Patterson.

Moreover, we have also found a few double etched sets – bearing both the “Chalet Canada” company signature and the FASCINATION PAR C.M. retailer branding.

All the double etched found, to date, have been in shades of amber.

The “tornado” vases are highly prized by collectors.

The shorter 5” height is quite scarce but is still found more often than the taller pieces which are very rare. The shorter vases are typically etched “Chalet Canada” with the taller versions also found bearing the FASCINATION PAR C.M. signature. However, this style of vase is not shown on the either the catalogue sheet that I have for that retailer/distributor or on the 1962 Chalet page above. Very few other brandings on these vases have been discovered. However, you will note one other retailer indicia below.

The 5” height.

Although a solid colour from the typical Chalet colour palette is the norm, a very few exceptions to this norm have been found:

An exceptionally rare piece – both in colouring and marking. In addition to the etched Chalet signature, note the etched Birks marking. The etched Birks “double B” branding is very, very seldom seen – let alone on a “tornado.”

And a lovely clear crystal vase.

Photograph courtesy of Sabrina Brunetti.

I was thrilled to see it in a Woodward’s (a Chalet small chain retailer) sale advertisement!

In 2026 dollars - $74.88. That would be a delightful score! Featured in the August 17, 1967 edition of the Calgary Herald which is a division of the Postmedia Network Inc.

With regard to the sizes of the “tornado” vases, I started with the assumption that my two taller “tornado” vases (they were not displayed together at the time) would have heights of 10” and 12.”  I knew my olive (rear centre in photograph below) “Chalet Canada” signed was 12” so thought my amber etched FASCINATION PAR C.M. would come in at 10”. Well, as soon as they were together, I realized that I had made a mistake.

So, given that the taller vases obviously had heights shorter than 10 inches, I contacted 4 other collectors that I knew had taller than 5-inch vases. They very kindly stopped what they were doing and took measurements for me. We made the discovery that the taller vases actually ranged from 8 inches to 12 1/2 inches.

Since then I got a “unicorn.” A blue Chalet “tornado” - and it is 8 inches!

On display.

9” vase from the collection of Cindy Bishop Laughlin.

These vases are from the collection of Jo Highland.

This 10 ½ inch vase is etched “Chalet Canada” and is from the collection of Erica Mailhiot.

An 11” stunner.

From the collection of Albert Rodgers. Photograph courtesy of Gionny Gueli.

12” etched “Chalet Canada” from the collection of Deborah Patterson.

This gorgeous, unusual olive cased in blue is 12 1/2”. To date, the tallest “tornado” of which we know. In my opinion, it is also the most beautiful of which we know - the colour saturation, the casings, the “tornado” twists…

From the collection of Gionny Gueli.

Gionny Gueli has survived 3 twisters so far!

I love my “tornados.”

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Strap in and enjoy!