About this design
Ribbed melon shapes are a much-loved style of vintage glass ornament. The Ribbed Melon Ornament captures it with an oval body crossed by five curved vertical slits: the center one straight, the outer ones bowing outward to follow the curve, like ribs. A cap and loop sit on top.
The slits make a beautiful light pattern on the tree and give the flat ornament a surprising sense of roundness.
Project ideas
- Vintage-style trees. Pair with finials and onion domes in gold and jewel tones.
- Laser-cut ornaments. The ribs glow when backlit by tree lights.
- Layered cardstock. Back the ribs with cream or pearl paper.
- Cards. A gold melon ornament on a deep green card.
- Decals. Gold vinyl on a glass jar or vase.
Color ideas
The default color version is gold with cream ribs and a silver cap. Other ideas:
- Teal with white ribs for a retro look
- Red with gold ribs for a traditional tree
- Silver with white ribs for a frosty style
- Pink with gold ribs for a vintage pastel palette
Size and cutting tips
This ornament passes our cut checks from about 2 inches tall. The slits are slim, so for felt or thick cardstock, size it to 3.5 inches or more. Weed the slits first, starting from their ends.
For a stronger cardstock ornament, glue a solid oval behind it in a contrasting color.
Step by step: a vintage-style card
- Download the color SVG and size it to 4 inches tall.
- Cut the body from gold metallic cardstock and the cap from silver.
- Cut a cream oval slightly smaller than the body and glue it behind the ribs.
- Glue the cap on top and mount the ornament on a deep green card front.
- Draw a thin hanging line from the loop to the top of the card with a gold pen.
- Add a short vintage-style greeting inside.
Good to know
Many vintage glass ornaments have ribbed, segmented surfaces; the curved slits in this design imitate the way light catches those ribs.
Variations to try
- Fill the ribs with stained-glass-style colored vellum.
- Cut it from wood and paint each segment a different pastel.
- Use the outline file as a gold foil card motif.
Pairs well with
The Teardrop Finial Ornament and Onion Dome Ornament complete a vintage trio, and the Folded Paper Faceted Star shares the segmented look.
