Chrome Top?  Not a Product of Corning Glass Works!

A Guide to Look-Alike Accessories

 

In the first two years of Corelle’s existence, Corning did not produce co-ordinating serving accessories, like salt & pepper shakers, so essentially there was a gap in the market.  At that time there were many unaffiliated manufacturers who specialized in useful kitchen and dining accessories made of white opal glass with metal and/or plastic tops.  Some of the known companies who made these items are:  Gemco Ware, Dispensers Inc. (Starline), and Dominion Glass.  After all, Corning is not the only one capable of making white glass. 

 

Dispensers Inc., Gemco, Dominion Glass
Examples of items from Dispensers Inc., Gemco Ware and Dominion Glass

 

These glass producers recognized the opportunity to put Corelle’s success to work for themselves and went on to make their own items decorated with versions of those very popular patterns.  It is likely that this practice had begun years earlier with Corning’s other sales triumph, Corning Ware with the Blue Cornflower emblem.  All of the companies discussed here also made items with ‘blue cornflower’ designs ranging from blatant copies to something perhaps merely reminiscent of Corning’s logo.

 

It is possible that Corning did not have copyrights registered on their earliest Corelle patterns, because they really were the first company to dominate the dinnerware market so thoroughly.  The issue of copied patterns had perhaps never been encountered before.  In any case, the other companies generally produced patterns which are easily spotted as not the real thing, but sometimes a close comparison is necessary.

 

Basically, Corning Glass Works never made oil & vinegar cruets, salt & pepper shakers, cream & sugar sets or other dispenser style items with a chrome screw top lid on white glass.  These are the ‘look-alikes’.  And by calling them that, I’m not disparaging their quality, rather pointing out that these very practical and collectible pieces are not made of opal Pyrex.

 

 

Gemco Salt and Pepper ShakersGemco Ware

Gemco Ware Inc. of Hauppauge, NY had operated as an independent company from 1948 to 2003.  It was then acquired by the Lifetime Hoan Corporation which also owns the Farberware and Pfaltzgraff brands.  Gemco's products include glass food dispensers of all kinds as well as storage containers and handy kitchen aids.  They have produced a wide variety of items with versions of Corelle and Corning Ware patterns: Butterfly Gold, Snowflake Blue, Spring Blossom Green, Old Town Blue, Woodland Brown, Meadow, Indian Summer, Strawberry white spaceSundayBlue Cornflower, Spice O' Life, Floral Bouquet and Country Festival.

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Dispensers Inc. Sugar ShakerDispensers Inc.

A California-based company, Dispensers Inc. produced practical glass and chrome items like sugar shakers, cream/syrup pitchers and salt & pepper sets.  Other brand names which appear on their products include 'Starline' and 'Dripcut'.  The Corelle patterns that Dispensers Inc. imitated include:  Butterfly Gold, Snowflake Blue and Spring Blossom Green.  It is relatively easy to see that these patterns are not authentic.  Versions of Corning Ware’s Blue Cornflower and Spice O’ Life were also made.  One of their 'cornflower' designs is a copy of the Corning Ware pattern.

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Dominion Glass Pepper ShakerDominion Glass Company Ltd.

Dominion Glass was a major Canadian glassmaker with product lines ranging from bottles & jars to pressed tableware and art glass.  They also produced practical kitchen and table accessories in white opal glass, and three notable decorations were look-alikes of Corning Ware patterns.  These were Blue Cornflower, Spice O’ Life and Wildflower

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