BLUE PYREX SERIES

The yellow #501 and green #502 dishes of Verde and Verde 2.

The avocado Verde and Verde 2 #403 and #443 bowls.

The dark green Verde and New Multicolor #404 bowls.

Verde yellow 501 dish (left) and Daisy yellow 501 (right). Original Multicolor blue 401 bowl (left) and New Multicolor blue 401 (right). Some examples of differences are shown here. Only in a handful of cases were the exact same colors used in more than one pattern.

Knowing the differences is important to the collector, lest a piece is purchased thinking it a match to a particular pattern, only to later find otherwise. When viewed alone, some shades might appear indistinguishable from others until both are seen side by side.

Subtle differences exist in shades of color from one pattern to another. Some pieces were offered as open stock in colors different from that of the same piece when supplied as part of a set.Being a matte/satin finish, the Terra pattern also shows wear and damage more readily than others.The Terra color finish was achieved by applying a dark color over a fired-on lighter color, then removing bands of the topmost with a spinning abrasive machine.The black color known as charcoal, used for both dishes and applied decoration, was a matte/satin finish and tends to show wear and damage more obviously than others.Non-metallic decorative patterns on white bowls usually are on bare opal glass, the Colonial Mist blue on white pattern being an exception.Metallic decorative patterns apparently did not adhere well to bare opal glass, so they are always seen on applied color finishes, including white.Many non-standard colors appeared only on promotional pieces.

BLUE PYREX SERIES

The shades of yellow on the 400 series mixing bowls from the original multi-color, the all-yellow set, and both the Town & Country and the Daisy pattern collections are all noticeably different.The exact shades of the green 403 and blue 401 primary color mixing bowls also varied slightly over time.The shades of the original orange-red 402 mixing bowl, the later red 402, the red 402 from the Friendship pattern collection, and the red-orange 402 from the 1968 new multi-color 400 set are all slightly different.Primary color mixing bowls were described in early advertising as Canary Yellow, Jade Green, Chinese Red, and Robin Egg Blue.Avocados and harvest golds continued in Spring Blossom Green and Butterfly Gold, respectively, In the 1970s, the bright colors of the late 1960s continued with Friendship, but gave way to earthtones and rustic shades in the latter half of the decade. The popularity of avocado greens in the late '60s was reflected in Verde. The 1960s first brought warmer tones and pastels like Sandalwood and Early American, suceeded later in the decade by the brighter colors of Daisy. The 1950s were rounded out by turquoise, pink, and pale yellow. The cheerful early primary colors of the 1940s were soon joined, albeit briefly, by lime green and flamingo pink. Over the years, the colors offered were reflections of the tastes of the times.

It all began with the iconic primary-colored set of four mixing bowls in yellow, green, red, and blue, and took off from there. While Pyrex ovenware in clear glass had been massively successful for nearly 30 years, it was the introduction of the color ware in the 1940s that cemented its place in kitchenware history.

Blue pyrex