1983 - CornerStone Cups
(Centura, Suprema, Corning Ware, stoneware)

(7 oz)  Available Patterns:  Abundance, Alpine Blossom, Belle Grove, China Blossom, Coastal Breeze, Country Morning, Country Promenade, French Garden, Glenora, Heather's Plate, Heirloom Bloom, Iris, Mirage, Royal Garden, Southwest Heritage, Spring Pond, Summer Mist, Symphony, Thymeless Herbs.

Spring Pond (Centura), Country Promenade (stoneware), French Garden (Suprema), Thymeless Herbs (Corning Ware), Abundance (stoneware). 

Hitting the market in March 1983, the CornerStone Collection as a whole survived just one decade, but a few patterns in this style would remain in production until 2009.  The beige-tinted background was a new concept for Corelle and these patterns came with a cup based on one of the shapes used with Centura Tableware.    
         
The earliest CornerStone cups are made of beige Centura, and stamped with embossed lettering 'Corning ... No Microwave'.  (photo #1)

It appears that Centura was replaced by Suprema for other cup styles in 1986.  But only a white formula for Suprema was available at the time, so for beige patterns, stoneware cups were imported from other makers.  This is also true of cream & sugar sets, and many pieces came with a small 'Made In Japan' label.  The 1980s stoneware cups can have a slightly different shape, with rounded corners and a thicker and chunkier handle.  These cups are marked in grey ink with 'Corning ... Corning N.Y. USA ... Microwave Safe'.  (photo #2)

A beige version of Suprema was put into production around 1991, and the CornerStone cups would employ this new formula through the 1990s.  These cups are embossed with simply 'Corning ... USA'.  Although the stamp does not mention it, they are safe for the microwave.  (photo #3)

From approximately 1999 to 2002 real Corning Ware was used for this cup style.  The colour of the Corning Ware, Soft Beige, is an ivory shade and is lighter than Sandstone Corelle.  These cups are usually marked 'Corningware ... Made In USA', or possibly 'Corning ... Made In USA'.  (photo #4)

Stoneware returned eventually as the choice of material for these cups around 2003.  For CornerStone, this latest stoneware version is generally marked with 'Corelle Coordinates ... Stoneware ... (plus the country of origin)'.  (photo #5)

Without more solid date information about these various materials and patterns, it isn't possible to compile a comprehensive list of which patterns were made with which materials.  But in general, a short-lived pattern like Belle Grove would have cups in just one composition, and a pattern with a very long run like Abundance can have three different types of cups.

Exceptions:  Heirloom Bloom and Mirage do not belong to the CornerStone Collection, they use a standard rimmed plate style instead.  Mirage cups are paired with coupe saucers, while  Heirloom Bloom goes one step further with CornerStone shaped saucers.  The Mirage cream & sugar set is also borrowed from CornerStone.

(Photo: Mirage stoneware sugar bowl, Suprema cup with saucer.)

Similarly, Heather's Plate, with a white background and coupe plate style, is not a CornerStone pattern.  It was a special commemorative design for Corelle's 25th anniversary in 1995, and it represents the only time the CornerStone cup was made for a white Corelle pattern.  The three-piece place setting did not include a saucer.

Creamers & Sugar Bowls:

The earliest type of CornerStone cream & sugar set is made of Centura, and the sugar bowl was topped with a beige plastic flat lid with no handle or knob.  The style of the sugar bowl is borrowed from Centura Tableware too.  This creamer is the same size and shape as the cup. 

(Photo: CornerStone Cream & Sugar, Spring Pond.  Made of Centura, with flat plastic sugar bowl lid.  Image from 1985 catalogue.)

These same shapes were reproduced next in stoneware, and this time the sugar lid was also stoneware with a very tall knob.  The matching creamer is taller than the cup and it holds about 8 ounces.  Suprema and real Corning Ware were never used for cream & sugar sets.

(Photo: Abundance stoneware creamer in the original CornerStone shape.)

The newest style of cream & sugar is also stoneware in a larger size and more rounded shape.  It is the standard shape of the modern sets and it is common to many product lines, not just CornerStone. 

Available patterns:  Abundance, Alpine Blossom, Belle Grove, China Blossom, Country Promenade, French Garden, Glenora, Iris, Mirage, Royal Garden, Southwest Heritage, Spring Pond, Summer Mist, Symphony.

Abundance Cups & Saucers:  Suprema (left); Corning Ware (right).

NEXT