Corelle Profile:
Belle Grove, China Blossom, Glenora, Royal Garden (1983) 

The CornerStone Collection was introduced early 1983 in response to growing consumer interest in rustic natural coloured stoneware dinnerware.  Belle Grove, China Blossom, Glenora and Royal Garden are the very first patterns to be produced with a beige background.  It was designed to mimic the appearance of stoneware, and the glass is slightly thicker than usual, but only by about 25%, enough to lend a noticeable weight.

Glenora dinner plate.

The product line was a significant innovation for Vitrelle, but initially the backstamps read "CornerStone by Corning" without mentioning the Corelle brand.  It emphasized CornerStone's distinctiveness by positioning it separately from Corelle's established and more familiar product lines, but it would be re-branded later as Corelle.

By 1993 just two patterns remained.  Officially the product line ceased to exist and the CornerStone name disappeared.  But the plate style endured until 2009, and a few new patterns appeared in the meantime.  By increments, the additional thickness also disappeared, until newer pieces became as light as regular Corelle.

Royal Garden & China Blossom, also a cream & sugar set.  Image from 1985 catalogue.

The unique rolled-rim style of the plates is also present on soup/cereal bowls and saucers, and for these patterns, even platters & serving bowls have CornerStone rims.  At some point during the late 1980s, platters & serving bowls moved to the ordinary coupe shape for China Blossom.
 
The multi-coloured designs are printed on the centre of the plate, and coloured bands embellish the rims.  Bowls & saucers are decorated only with two bands, both the same colour.

China Blossom & Belle Grove luncheon plates, Royal Garden side plate, and Glenora cup made of Centura.
   
Initially, sets came with Centura cups, but for patterns surviving into 1986, stoneware cups also exist.  The first type of cream & sugar set was made of Centura with a beige plastic flat-top sugar lid.  After 1986 this was replaced by a stoneware set, which included a stoneware sugar lid.

(Photo: Royal Garden.  Image from 1985 brochure.)

Belle Grove & Glenora were discontinued late 1984.  China Blossom & Royal Garden were dropped sometime between 1987 & 1992, but exact ending dates are not known.  Of these initial CornerStone patterns, it seems that China Blossom had the greatest longevity.
                    

Corelle Dinnerware:

CornerStone Rimmed Plates, Bowls & Platters:
Dinner Plate (10¼")
Luncheon Plate (8½")
Side Plate (7¼")
Saucer (6¼") *

Centura CornerStone Cup (7 oz) - all
stoneware CornerStone Cup (7 oz) - China Blossom, Royal Garden
Centura CornerStone Cream & Sugar - all
stoneware CornerStone Cream & Sugar - China Blossom

Dessert Bowl (10 oz, 6¼") * ‡
Soup/Cereal Bowl (18 oz, 6¾") *
1 Qt Serving Bowl (8½") *
Oval Platter (12½")

1 Qt Serving Bowl, coupe (8½") * ‡‡
Oval Platter, coupe (12½") ‡‡

* - coloured bands:
China Blossom = tan; Glenora = bright green; 
Royal Garden = rust; Belle Grove = blue.

‡ - possibly not for Belle Grove & Glenora.

‡‡ - possibly only for China Blossom.
 

Others:

Thermal carafes in a one quart size were made overseas and sold under the Corning brand.  They were available in China Blossom and Royal Garden.


Related Articles:

Cup Styles: CornerStone Cup
Plate Styles: CornerStone
1983 Brochure: CornerStone Trial Offer
1985 Brochure: Introducing Spring Pond 
Pattern List: Beige-Tinted Plates
What is Centura?

NEXT CornerStone Profile.