Plate Styles - Coupe/Rimmed, Sculptured/Embossed

Coupe:  This is the original Corelle plate style and the only style available for most of the 1970s.  Patterns from the Livingware line have used this shape, as well as Expressions, Traditions and Livingware 2.  For a short time in the 1980s the Livingware line was also called the Sunrise Collection.  More recently this style has been made 70% thicker in the Luxe Hoops line.

Undecorated, the white version is named Winter Frost White.  It was made with a beige tint for the first time in 1986, and when the undecorated version debuted it was called Beige.  The name has been changed since to Sandstone.  The rim rises smoothly from the base of the plate to the edge without stepping up to a flat rim.

Dimensions:
Dinner - 10¼"
Luncheon - 8½"
Bread & Butter - 6¾"
Saucer - 6¼"

Photo: Spring Blue and Friendship Dinner Plates.

Narrow Rimmed (Dimension IV):  The second plate style was produced from 1979 to 1985, and it is associated mainly with the Dimension IV series of coloured band designs.  However Forget-Me-Not from Expressions also uses this type, as well as the four-season Currier & Ives Collection of decorative plates.  The flat-rim soup plate, still in production, is derived from the narrow rimmed plate style, and has been made in dozens of patterns unrelated to Dimension IV. 

There is one undecorated example in this shape; its origins and whether it has a name are unclear.  This plate style exists with a white background only, never Sandstone.  Measuring from the back of the dinner plate, the flat rim is 7/8" wide. 

Dimensions:
Dinner - 10¼"
Luncheon - 8½"
Bread & Butter - 6¾"
Saucer - 6¼" coupe

Photo: Slate and Citrus Dinner Plates.

CornerStone Shape:  In 1983 the CornerStone Collection marked a new direction for Corelle with a new plate style plus a new beige tinted body.  The oldest pieces of CornerStone are 20-25% thicker than usual, and this was part of the line's original appeal.  For the earlier patterns only, platters also bear this unique rim style.  Bayscape, Sandscape and Skyscape from Natural Images also use this shape, and it is possible to find it with a Currier & Ives decoration too.  The CornerStone shape was produced until 2009, when Abundance, Coastal Breeze and Country Morning moved to the standard rimmed style instead.

Undecorated, it was known simply as Beige (CornerStone mould shape), and this may have been supplied just for open stock purchase.  This plate style was produced with a beige background only.  The CornerStone shape is quite different than any other style, it is best described as a rolled rim with a well-defined ridge one inch from the edge.

Dimensions:
Dinner - 10¼"
Luncheon - 8½"
Bread & Butter - 7¼" 
Saucer - 6¼"

Photo:  China Blossom and Skyscape Luncheon Plates.

Standard Rimmed (smooth):  This style has been in production since 1985, when the beige-bodied Natural Images line was launched.  White-bodied versions would appear the following year with Design Images and Occasions.  The latter has been merged into what is presently known as Impressions, which includes multiple rim types now.  Natural Images and Design Images were amalgamated in 1993 into a single Images line which would be discontinued a year or two later.

The white undecorated version is named Misty White.  There are beige undecorated examples in this shape; its origins and whether it has a name are unclear.  Measuring from the back of the dinner plate, the flat rim is 1¼" wide, sharing the same proportions as the swirled Sculptured and 3-swirl Embossed plate types. 

Dimensions:
Dinner - 10¼"
Luncheon - 9"
Bread & Butter - 7¼"
Saucer - 6¼" coupe

Photo: Summer Blush and Summer Citrus Dinner Plates.

Sculptured/Swirled Rim (Enhancements):  Aimed at the more upmarket department store trade, Sculptured Corelle was introduced in 1988 with an emphasis on more fashionable decorations.  The gracefully swirled rim design lends an elegance reminiscent of fine china.  The Sculptured line is currently part of Impressions, grouped together with many other rim shapes.  More recently this style has been made 30% thicker in the Pro product line.

Undecorated, it is named Enhancements, but certain accessories were called Sculptured White; this was particularly true early on when plain white serving pieces were meant to match all Sculptured patterns.  For Pro, the undecorated version is named Elegance.  This plate style exists with a white background only, never Sandstone.  Measuring from the back of the dinner plate, the flat rim is 1¼" wide, same as the standard smooth rimmed shape.

Dimensions:
Dinner - 10¼"
Luncheon - 9"
Bread & Butter - 7¼"
Saucer - 6¼" coupe, sculptured

Photo: Elegant Rose Bread & Butter, Chutney Luncheon Plate.

Embossed/3-Swirl Rim (Windward White):  In 1992 three new patterns were introduced with a crisply embossed rim design featuring three repetitions of three long swirls.  These patterns and this innovative style would be the genesis of the Impressions product line.  The following year a fourth Embossed pattern was launched, but a re-alignment of CornerStone, Sculptured and Occasions meant that the Impressions line became a catch-all category for many diverse rimmed patterns.  As for the embossed 3-swirl rimmed style, it appears to be short-lived, surviving only a few years.

Undecorated, it is named Windward White, but certain accessories were called Embossed White since plain white serving pieces were meant to match all Embossed patterns.  This plate style exists with a white background only, never Sandstone.  The existence of 3-swirl luncheon plates has not been proven yet, but all four patterns did come with 3-swirl flat-rim soup plates.  The other three Embossed patterns are: Celestial Blue, Spring Breeze, and Pastel Ballet.  Measuring from the back of the dinner plate, the flat rim is 1¼" wide, same as the standard smooth rimmed shape.

Dimensions:
Dinner - 10¼"
Bread & Butter - 7¼"
Saucer - 6¼" coupe, embossed

Photo: Celestial Blue Bread & Butter Plate and Saucer.

Extra Wide Rim (Lifestyles, XL):  It seems that this plate style debuted in 1999 when 70% thicker Corelle was introduced.  Since then it has been made in the regular Corelle thickness, as well as an in-between 30% thicker version called Pro.  70% thicker Corelle has been sold under an array of brand names such as Ultra, Luxe and Infinia, but the very first brand name was actually 'Corningware Dinnerware'.  Although it was branded 'Corningware' it is undoubtedly made of Vitrelle.  With the regular thickness this plate style defines the Lifestyles and Corelle XL lines, but it has been in Impressions also.  What sets this plate style apart from the others is its generous 10¾" size; it is the only one to stray from the usual 10¼" format.

Photo: Blue Snowflakes and Graphique Dinner Plates.

For Ultra, the undecorated version is named Blanc.  An off-white ivory colour also exists in Ultra, undecorated this is called Eggshell.  The regular and Pro thicknesses seem to be white-bodied only.  In the Lifestyles and Ultra lines the wide-rimmed 6¼" saucer has been dubbed a bread & butter plate as well, depending on whether the set comes with short cups or tall mugs.  In other product lines this saucer has appeared in place settings with the standard rimmed plate plus the 7¼" bread & butter plate.  Measuring from the back of the dinner plate, the flat rim is
1 7/8" wide.

Dimensions:
Dinner - 10 ¾"
Luncheon - 8½"
Saucer / Bread & Butter - 6¼"

Photo: French Lilac and Summer Citrus Wide-Rimmed Saucers.

 
 
Rim Widths:  Measurements were taken from the back of the plate because the curvature of the rim is most distinct on the back, and the point of inflection is easier to find.  Dinner plates were chosen as representative samples.  Luncheon plates and bread & butter plates from the same grouping do have narrower rims, roughly proportional to their sizes.

More photos on Page Two.