Glossary of Terminology

Consistent and unambiguous terminology is essential.  Here is a list of names and phrases used at Corelle Corner, just in case we don't understand each other.

CornerStone patterns: Iris, Summer Mist, Royal Garden, China Blossom.  Image from 1985 catalogue.

CornerStone Collection:  A Corelle product line launched in 1983.  Although the name has not been used since 1992, effectively this style remained active until 2009.  CornerStone plates have a distinctive rim shape, and each pattern has a beige background. 

The oldest patterns are: Belle Grove, China Blossom, Glenora, Royal Garden, Iris, Summer Mist, Spring Pond.  Patterns appearing sometime between 1987 & 1993 include: Abundance, Alpine Blossom, Country Promenade, French Garden, Southwest Heritage, Symphony.  Newer patterns are: Coastal Breeze, Country Morning, Thymeless Herbs.

Plain undecorated Cornerstone also was offered in open stock, known simply as "Beige (CornerStone mould shape)".  Shapes & sizes include: dinner plate, luncheon plate, soup/cereal bowl, and there might be more.

Corning:  The word "Corning" is a company name, as in "Corning Glass Works" or "Corning Incorporated".  This is the company that manufactured Corelle, Pyrex and Corning Ware products.  Corelle and Pyrex are not companies, and Corning is not a material.  Items branded only as "Corning" might be made of opal Pyrex, Suprema, Centura, Corning Ware or stoneware.  (Corning Glass Works) 

Corning Ware:  Introduced in 1958, this is the brand name of cookware made of glass-ceramic.  Extremely durable, it has remarkable resistance to heat shock and can go directly from the freezer to the stovetop.  (Corning Ware vs. Corningware) 

Coupe:  In describing the shape of a plate or bowl, "coupe" is the opposite of "rimmed".  The word itself means "cut", and it is intended to convey that an item of tableware is lacking a rim.  If a plate or bowl has a wide rim, or even a narrow flat rim, then it is not coupe.  (Plate Styles) 

Cup:  The difference between a cup and a mug could be described in terms of capacity, shape or proportion, but the most unambiguous characteristic of a cup is that it is used with a saucer.  If it originally came with a saucer, then it is a cup.  (Cup Styles) 

Dessert Bowl:  Corelle dessert bowls are 5-3/8" and their capacity is stated to be 10 oz, but they only hold this quantity if they are filled level full.  Eight ounces is a more practical volume.  At first Corning labelled them Small Bowls and later called them Dessert Bowls.

Dimension IV patterns: Cinnamon, Heather, Cobalt, Slate.  Image from 1985 catalogue.

Dimension IV Livingware:  A Corelle product line available from 1979 to 1985.  It encompasses a variety of coloured band designs on a unique narrow rimmed plate shape, namely: Citrus, Almond, Cinnamon, Slate, Heather, Cobalt, Onyx.  On a coupe plate style, certain colour schemes became available in 1986 with different names: Chestnut, Indigo, Dusk.  Allegro & Meadow Green are similar patterns from the 1990s.

Expressions patterns: Indian Summer, Wildflower, Meadow, Windsor Rose, Desert Blossom.  Image from 1985 catalogue.

Expressions Livingware:  A Corelle product line launched in 1977 and discontinued in 1986.  Its patterns have a multi-coloured central design and bands on the rim.  Patterns are: April, Blue Heather, Indian Summer, Meadow, Wildflower, Batik, Strawberry Sunday, Forget-Me-Not, Desert Blossom, Windsor Rose, Misty Morning.  All Expressions patterns are coupe, except for Forget-Me-Not.

Glass-Ceramics:  The scientific field of glass-ceramics was first pioneered in the 1950s and quickly led to the introduction of Corning Ware in 1958.  Corning Ware, Visions, Centura and Suprema are all glass-ceramics.  This means they are materials that are glass in structure initially, but through heat treatment they become a ceramic.  (Glass-Ceramics, Pyroceram)  

Livingware 2 patterns: Solitary, Floral Spray, Oriental Wood, Colonial Mist.  Image from 1985 catalogue.

Livingware 2:  A Corelle product line introduced in 1983.  Using a coupe plate style, these one-colour patterns are printed with a central design and have bands and other motifs on the rim.  There are only four patterns: Colonial Mist, Floral Spray, Oriental Wood, Solitary.

Luncheon Plate:  Depending on the product line, Corelle luncheon plates are 8", 8½", or 9".  Initially, the company labelled them Medium Plates and later called them Luncheon Plates.  Although they might be called salad plates or dessert plates, the smaller side plates also could be described this way, which is confusing.  (Plate Styles) 

Milk Glass:  In theory, all white glass is opal glass, and all opal glass is milk glass.  But in practice, "Milk Glass" is a well-defined category within the realms of early pressed glass and Depression glass.  Highly prized pieces can be those which are very, very densely white, and alternatively, delicate translucency can be a desirable trait as well.  Milk glass items are usually purely decorative in nature, like vases, ornamental bowls and hens on nests.  Occasionally, a set of Monax dinnerware can be found amongst a milk glass collection, and some items are of a practical nature, like fancy salt & pepper shakers.  A genuine milk glass collection has more in common with Depression glass than with heat-resistant Pyrex kitchen ware.  Two popular manufacturers of milk glass are Fenton and Westmoreland.

Mug:  The difference between a cup and a mug could be described in terms of capacity, shape or proportion, but the most unambiguous characteristic of a mug is that it is used without a saucer.  If no saucer was provided, then it is a mug.  (Cup Styles) 

Opal Glass:  Opal is a term used in the glass industry to describe white glass.  It is made by adding an ingredient, an opacifying agent, to regular soda-lime glass to achieve an opaque appearance.  In terms of heat-resistant opal glass like Pyrex, how opaque the glass can be made has to be balanced with the required stability or strength of the resultant product.  Glass can be made very densely white, but this improvement to its appearance can impair the stability of the melt and make it difficult to produce.  Opal glass can be heat-resistant or not, it depends on its method of manufacture and the intended purpose of the individual piece.  Sometimes it is just milk glass.

Opaque:  Not translucent or transparent.  These are comparative terms, and if a material is described as opaque, then light will not pass through it easily.

Pyroceram:  Contrary to popular belief, this word is not just a synonym for Corning Ware.  It is the brand name of all types of glass-ceramic products made by Corning Glass Works.  Company literature also refers to Centura as "Pyroceram", and it is well established that Centura and Corning Ware have very different compositions, but they are both glass-ceramics.  Visions is also a glass-ceramic, and at times it has been called "Pyroceram" too.  It is a word that might create more confusion than clarity.  (Glass-Ceramics, Pyroceram) 

Rimmed:  Every piece of tableware has an edge, but it does not necessarily have a rim.  A rimmed plate or bowl steps up and flattens out again at some point before reaching the outer edge.  "Rimmed" is the opposite of "coupe".  (Plate Styles) 

Sandstone:  Beige-tinted Vitrelle was manufactured from 1983 to 2010.  The colour was originally called Beige, then re-named Sandstone in 2003.  All patterns in the CornerStone Collection, the Natural Images product line, and some Livingware patterns have a Sandstone background.  Transitions is a by-product of Sandstone.

Side Plate:  Depending on the product line, Corelle side plates are 6¾" or 7¼".  Initially, the company labelled them Small Plates, and later called them Bread & Butter Plates.  Although they might be called salad plates or dessert plates, luncheon plates also could be described this way, which is confusing.  (Plate Styles) 

Sunrise Collection, Livingware patterns: Winter Frost White, Old Town Blue, Spring Blossom Green, Butterfly Gold, Morning Blue, Woodland Brown, Ribbon Bouquet, Burgundy.  Image from 1985 catalogue.

Sunrise Collection:  A line of Corelle Livingware established in 1984 that combined existing one-colour Livingware patterns with two new patterns, presenting them as a cohesive group.  They are: Winter Frost White, Butterfly Gold, Spring Blossom Green, Old Town Blue, Woodland Brown, Morning Blue, Burgundy, Ribbon Bouquet. 

Traditions patterns: Sunshine, Spice O' Life, Flirtation, Harvest Home.  Image from 1982 catalogue.

Traditions Livingware:  A Corelle product line introduced in 1981 and last available in 1983.  Designs are printed on the rim, using either two or three colours.  There are only four patterns: Flirtation, Harvest Home, Spice O' Life, Sunshine.

Translucent:  Not opaque.  These are comparative terms, and if a material is described as translucent, then light will pass through it easily.  But it is not completely transparent either.