Heisey Glass Colors

Alexandrite This color was described in the national magazines as being tinted like some rare orchid petal, a dainty, tantalizing purple. Alexandrite is often confused with Hawthorne, another Heisey color. Alexandrite is lavender, similar to the Alexandrite stone, which has a blue hue under certain light conditions. Under a florescent light, Alexandrite turns blue; Hawthorne does not. Hawthorne is somewhat darker than Alexandrite and can be distinguished either by the black light or by placing the two colors side by side on a white background. Other companies produced colors similar to Alexandrite, for example, Cambridge’s Heatherbloom and Fostoria’s Wisteria. Heisey’s Alexandrite, however, contains a bit more pink. Stemware patterns made in beautiful Alexandrite were Nos. 3380 Old Dominion, 3381 Creole, and 3390 Carcassonne.  Alexandrite pressed-ware pieces were available in No. 1401 Empress, with a few pieces of Nos. 1252 Twist and 1184 Yeoman also being made. In addition, assorted vases, candlesticks, and the No. 301 candelabra were manufactured in Alexandrite. A special beauty is the No. 1000 marmalade jar. Other items were produced in Alexandrite, but the ones mentioned above are the most common in this color.

Amber This color was produced periodically during the lifetime of the Heisey company. Much Amber was made for Fred Harvey, both for railroad and restaurant use. Amber was not run continually, but was brought back as orders warranted. In later years it was made a production color for a very short time. Called “Sultana,” the color was somewhat darker than the Amber made for Harvey. Several of the Heisey animals were made in Amber and are very desirable. Some late stemware lines were also offered with Amber bowls or stems.

Black Black opaque was an experimental color and was never produced commercially. Only a very few items were ever made in black, and any collector would be fortunate to have even one example in their collection. Items made in black include the No. 351 Priscilla oval mayonnaise underplate, the No. 1540 Lariat 8″ salad plate, and a few pieces of No. 1637A Town & Country.

Blue (Trial Blue) Pastel blue is thought to be an experimental color made for special orders or testing on the market. This color is similar to some shades of Limelight or Zircon, but it has more of a blue tint. It is in extremely limited supply.Though not as limited as black, any of the following items in Trial Blue would be a good find: No. 4085 Kohinoor 9 oz. low footed goblet, No. 1435 individual ash tray, and No. 3368 Albemarle 5 oz. sherbet.

Canary or Vaseline Canary and Vaseline are the same greenish-yellow color, referred to as “Canary” by Heisey and as “Vaseline” by collectors. This glass will glow bright yellow under a black light. Because Canary is an early color, known pieces are of the earlier patterns, including Nos. 150 Pointed Oval in Diamond Point, 1280 Winged Scroll, 160 Locket on Chain, and 1255 Pineapple and Fan. Pieces from this era tend to be  bright yellow in color. The color was reissued in a limited supply after 1922. Items Canary from this period can be found in Nos. 465 Recessed Panel, 351 Priscilla, 473 Narrow Flute with Rim, 451 Cross Lined Flute, 1184 Yeoman, and 1020 cream and sugar. The pieces will usually be accessories, such as vases and compotes.  Items found in this later Canary tend to be paler and subtler in color.

Cobalt Heisey sometimes referred to Cobalt as “Stiegel Blue.” Cobalt is a very deep shade of blue. It was used for numerous items, including the No. 110 Sandwich Dolphin candlestick, the Nos. 135 and 141 candlesticks, and the No. 301 candelabra. The following stemware lines are found in Cobalt, often with Cobalt bowls and Crystal stems: Nos. 3359 Plateau, 3390 Carcassonne, 3397 Gascony, 3404 Spanish, 3408 Jamestown, and 4044 New Era. Cobalt pieces can be found in the following pressed-ware patterns: Nos. 1401 Empress, 1404 Old Sandwich, 1405 Ipswich, and #425 Victorian. Blown-ware accessory items include favor vases and ball vases. The three ponies and the plug horse are rarely seen in Cobalt.

Dawn Dawn was Heisey’s last production color, still being produced when Heisey closed at the end of 1957. It is a smoke or a dark gray color, sometimes referred to as charcoal. Limited in production, Dawn shows a shade of amethyst when held to natural light. Dawn is most often found in Nos. 1632 Lodestar (made exclusively in Dawn), 1951 Cabochon, 1415 Twentieth Century, and 6009A Roundelay, and other pressed-ware accessory items.

Emerald Emerald was produced during the first color period, dating from as early as 1897. It is often found with gold decoration and is a deep, rich green. It will be found in these patterns: Nos. 150 Pointed Oval in Diamond Point, 160 Locket on Chain, 300 Peerless, 1205 Fancy Loop, 1255 Pineapple and Fan, 1280 Winged Scroll, and 1295 Beaded Swag. The richness of the color far surpasses comparable wares being made by other glass companies at the same time. A few items in Nos. 150 Pointed Oval in Diamond Point and 1255 Pineapple and Fan are known in a very dark shade of green that is sometimes called “Black Emerald” as it appears almost black.

Flamingo Flamingo can be collected in numerous patterns that were popular during the late 1920s and 1930s. It ranges from light pastel pink to a deep rose. Full table sets can be put together in Flamingo in Nos. 1170 Pleat and Panel, 1184 Yeoman, 1252 Twist, and 1401 Empress. Pieces in Nos. 1404 Old Sandwich and 1405 Ipswich are less common. A wide variety of stem lines were available in Flamingo as well as other occasional and accessory pieces.

Gold (see Marigold)

Gold Ruby An experimental color made for trial only, this color contains gold in the cranberry-effected coloring. For the most part, it found its way into the homes of the employees, since it was never produced for consumer use as far as we know. Gold Ruby is listed here not as a color to be collected, but as a point of interest. Under black light, it will fluoresce red. The No. 4220 Janice vase with spiral optic is one of the few items known in this color.

Hawthorne Hawthorne was first introduced in 1926. This color is found in several shades, from lightest lavender to a brownish, muddy purple. Because of the inconsistency in the color, Heisey ceased production in 1927 giving Hawthorne an extremely short period of production. Hawthorne is found in these stemware lines: Nos. 3324 Delaware, 3359 Plateau, 3360 Penn Charter, 3362 Charter Oak, and 3366 Trojan. Pressed-ware pieces in Nos. 1229 Octagon, 1231 Ribbed Octagon, 1184 Yeoman, 411-412 Tudor, 406-407 Coarse Rib, and 417 Double Rib & Panel can be found in Hawthorne. Assorted creams, sugars, nut cups, vases, pitchers, candlesticks, plates, floral bowls, frogs, and other accessory pieces were produced in limited supply in the Hawthorne color.

Ivorina Verde (Custard) Ivorina Verde was Heisey’s name for its opaque custard glass. Its color ranged from light yellow to a darker shade of yellow that is more closely associated with what is known today as custard glass. Both shades glow under the black light. Heisey is now known to have been a large producer of custard glass, much of it having earlier been erroneously attributed to Northwood Glass Company. These early patterns were produced in Ivorina Verde: Nos. 1280 Winged Scroll, 1225 Plain Band, 1295 Beaded Swag, 1245 Ring Band, 1235 Beaded Panel and Sunburst, 1220 Punty Band, and others. Items in Ivorina Verde are often found with souvenir decorations and inscriptions.

Limelight and Zircon Limelight and Zircon are the same color; the name changed to Limelight when the color was reissued in the 1950s.  Zircon is blue-green, similar to turquoise. However, due to problems in production, there are variations of shades within this color. Some pieces of Limelight tend to be ultramarine, a light to deep greenish blue. Most shades will fluoresce under black light. Zircon can be found in the following patterns: Nos. 1485 Saturn, 1504 Provincial, and 1495 Fern. Limelight can be found in No. 6060 Country Club barware, screen optic. Duncan Miller produced a color similar to Limelight in a pattern like Saturn.

Marigold and Gold Marigold is a brassy deep yellow with a green tint at the edges. The color was susceptible to cracking as it cooled, creating much waste. Marigold was discontinued after a short period. Several pieces of flashed Marigold have been located probably not done at the Heisey factory. An experimental color, called Gold, was similar to Marigold.  However, when placed under a black light, Marigold glows, while Gold turns to a salmon red. U.S. Glass produced a color similar to Heisey’s Marigold and also produced much Octagon ware, confusing the origins of those pieces. The U.S. Glass plates seen have all been marked with their logo, Marigold will be found most often in the No. 1252 Twist pattern, but pieces were also produced in Marigold in Nos. 1229 Octagon and 1184 Yeoman. Stemware can be found in Nos. 3350 Wabash, 3368 Albemarle, and 3380 Old Dominion.

Moongleam Moongleam was probably the first of the pastel colors that Heisey introduced in the mid-1920s. It is a lighter form of Emerald, although the early Moongleam pieces are very close to Emerald. The No. 1020 Phyllis cream and sugar can be found in both shades. Heisey called Moongleam “the green of  moonlight on the sea” in early ad copy. The most common patterns in Moongleam are Nos. 1401 Empress, 1404 Old Sandwich, #1170 Pleat and Panel, 1252 Twist, 500 Octagon, and 411 Tudor. Some pieces in Moongleam are very difficult to find. Items in Nos. 1425 Victorian, 1425 Warwick, and 3397 Gascony are scarce and quite desirable.

Opal (Milk Glass) White opaque glass is called “milk glass” today, but Heisey catalogs referred to it as “Opal.” Heisey only made Opal for a short period, from 1898 until the early 1900s. Much of Heisey’s Opal glass was made into souvenir items when other companies purchased and decorated pieces. The Oriental Glass Co. was one such company. Most items in Opal are from the No. 1295 Beaded Swag pattern. A few items in Nos. 1280 Winged Scroll and 160 Locket on Chain were made. Scarce items are the No. 1255 Pineapple & Fan ½ pint tankard, 1220 Punty Band toy cream and mug and 310 Ring Band Tumbler. Few items in Opal will be marked.

Rose Rose is a pastel pink similar to Flamingo. What distinguishes Rose from Flamingo is when it was made. There had long been some mystery attached to certain pieces in very early patterns that showed up in what was assumed to be Flamingo. However, company inventory lists for 1901-1903 show these items in a color called Rose. Pieces found in Rose are predominately in the Nos. 325 Pillows and 310 Ring Band pattern. The No. 1 candlestick and No. 300½ swung vase can also be found in Rose.

Sahara A sparkling pastel yellow color introduced by Heisey to replace the failed Marigold color, Sahara was well received by the public. Sahara was made in a many different patterns with No. 1401 Empress offering the widest assortment of pieces. Items in Sahara were also available in Nos. 1404 Old Sandwich, 1405 Ipswich, 1252 Twist,and 1184 Yeoman. Several stemware lines offered items in Sahara, including Nos. 3390 Carcassonne, 3381 Creole, and 3380 Old Dominion. Some patterns offered only a few items in the color. Highly sought after patterns in Sahara are Nos. 1447 Rococo, 1425 Victorian, and #3404 Spanish, among others. Many candlesticks, vases, and other accessory pieces were also offered in Sahara.

Tangerine Tangerine varies in color from a light orange to almost a true red. The color was difficult to control because the piece had to be reheated in the glory hole after it was finished to bring out the true coloring. Most pieces of Tangerine will be found in the following stemware lines: Nos. 3397 Gascony, 3389 Duquesne, and 3404 Spanish. The No. 1401 Empress pattern offered two sizes of plates, a cream and sugar, and several bowls in Tangerine. A table setting cannot be assembled in Tangerine. All six favor vases were made in Tangerine and are are very desirable.

Zircon See discussion under Limelight and Zircon above.