On a hot summer day, nothing tasted sweeter to the Magelli grandkids than the refrigerated water from the Jewel tea pitcher.

Grandma purchased the porcelain beauty from the Jewel Man. He was one of hundreds of door-to-door salesmen who called on housewives in villages and towns around the U.S.

“One of my favorite ‘recipes’ was Grandma’s cold lemon water. I could literally drink a pitcher of it,” said P.J. “It was so fresh tasting and seemed to go so well with her anise cookies.”

In the “Autumn Leaf” pattern, the little pitcher quenched countless thirsty children and adults over the decades.

Diane remembers it held about a quart of water, which was pumped from a well into the house.

“Grandpa would cut a fresh lemon in half, add the juice from the lemon, the rind and fill it with water. The lemon would last four or five days. That practice continued even after city water ran through the tap,” Diane said.