Glossary of Terminology

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

Bread & Butter Plate:  Depending on the product line, Corelle bread & butter plates are 6¾ inches or 7¼ inches.  They might be referred to elsewhere as salad plates or dessert plates, but this can be confusing.  It really depends on how much salad versus dessert one likes to eat.  At first Corning labelled them 'Small Plates' and years later began calling them 'Bread & Butter Plates'.  Another suitable term for this size is 'Side Plate'.


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 Sandstone (beige) background. 

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

Plain undecorated Cornerstone was also available in open stock; it was known simply as "Beige (CornerStone mould shape)".  These pieces include: dinner plate, luncheon plate, soup/cereal bowl.

Corning:  On this site, the usage of 'Corning' is as a company name, as in 'Corning Glass Works' or 'Corning Incorporated'.  This is the company which produced various glass products under the Corelle, Pyrex and Corning Ware brand names.  Corelle and Pyrex are not companies, but they can be thought of as divisions of Corning.  Backstamps often say Corning, but it is just a brand name; 'Corning' is not a material.  Items marked with 'Corning' can 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 is noteworthy for surviving house fires and is known historically for its usage in protecting rockets from the extreme temperatures of atmosphere re-entry.  It is very tough stuff.  (Corning Ware vs. Corningware)

Cup:  The difference between a cup and a mug could be described at length in terms of capacity, shape and proportion, leaving much room for exceptions to the rule.  The most unambiguous characteristic of a cup is that it is used with a saucer.  If it originally came with a saucer, then it's a cup.

Dessert Bowl:  Corelle dessert bowls are 5 3/8 inches and hold 10 ounces.  At first Corning labelled them 'Small Bowls' and years later began calling them 'Dessert Bowls'.  There are many other names for this kind of bowl, it depends what you like to serve in them.

Dimension IV Livingware:  A product line of Corelle dinnerware introduced in 1979, and last available in 1985.  It encompasses several banded patterns in a rimmed shape with different colour schemes:  Citrus, Almond, Cinnamon, Slate, Heather, Cobalt and Onyx.  Chestnut, Indigo and Dusk are related in design and colour but have a coupe shape, and were introduced in 1986.  Allegro and Meadow Green are similar patterns from the 1990s.  (Dimension IV)

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

Glass-Ceramics: Corning Ware, Centura and Suprema are examples of glass-ceramics.  To put it briefly, they are materials that are initially glass in structure, but after heat treatment they become a ceramic.  For example, an item such as a casserole is first formed from melted glass, then it is re-heated and cooled under controlled conditions.  It is the heat treatment which grows crystals within the glass turning it into a ceramic which vastly improves the strength of the item.  Read more. . .

Gravy Server: Usually they are called gravy boats, but 'Gravy Server' is Corning’s wording on the original boxes.  The set also includes an oval saucer, or underplate.

Livingware 2: A Corelle product line introduced in 1983.  These patterns are one-colour with a central design and bands 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 8½ inches or 9 inches.  They might be referred to elsewhere as salad plates or dessert plates, but this can be confusing.  It really depends on how much salad versus dessert one likes to eat.  At first Corning labelled them 'Medium Plates' and years later began calling them 'Luncheon Plates'.

Milk Glass: In theory, all white glass is opal glass, and all opal glass is milk glass.  However 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 EAPG or 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 at length in terms of capacity, shape and proportion, leaving much room for exceptions to the rule.  The most unambiguous characteristic of a mug is that it is used without a saucer.  If no saucer was provided, then it's a mug.

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 a brand name which applies to all types of glass-ceramics made by Corning Glass Works.  Original company literature also refers to Centura as "Pyroceram", and it is well understood 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 dubbed "Pyroceram" as well.  It is a word which carries very little meaning and too much confusion.

Sandstone: Beige-tinted Vitrelle was first seen in 1983, and Sandstone is the name of this shade.  Plain undecorated coupe-shaped Corelle of this colour is given the pattern name Sandstone currently, but initially it was called Beige.  All of the patterns in the CornerStone Collection and some Livingware patterns also have a Sandstone background.  Natural Images is a shorter-lived beige product line which used a standard rimmed plate style.  The advent of Sandstone Corelle also gave rise to 'Transitions'.

Sunrise Collection: A line of Corelle Livingware first seen in 1984.  It was a combination of the existing one-colour patterns with two new patterns, presenting them as a cohesive group.  These were: Winter Frost White, Butterfly Gold, Spring Blossom Green, Old Town Blue, Woodland Brown, Morning Blue, Burgundy, Ribbon Bouquet. 

Traditions Livingware: A Corelle product line introduced in 1981 and last available in 1983.  The designs appear on the rim and include 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.