Mysteries of Corning Ware Revealed - Furio Home Jewflora Versa-Pot

The truth is out there.....  (to borrow a phrase from the X Files)  and so it is.... You just have to be in the right place at the right time for all to be revealed.

For years, this Corning Ware Versa-Pot pattern has been known as "Burgundy/Cobalt Flower".

But let's back up a little bit.   Versa-Pots made their debut in 1994 as a Visions product.  They were available in both Amber and Cranberry with sizes ranging from 1 liter to 3.5 liters. (though later, a roaster was introduced)   When the Visions Versa-Pot sales were still abysmally low, as well as most other Visions pieces, many of the molds were used to press out regular white Corning Ware pieces.  My Risotto Pot (H-12) is a perfect example of this, as it is simply a V-12 pressed out of Corning Ware "Pyroceram" instead of Visions "Calexium"... It even takes a V-12 lid (though a clear one instead of an Amber or Cranberry one).  Thus, it is with the Versa-Pots.  They were available in white Corning Ware as well.

Though I have noticed the white Versa-Pots are usually sold on eBay with Cranberry or Amber lids, the proper lids will be V-1-C, V-1.5-C and V-2.5-C in clear.  (I have one on order, but it has not arrived yet)

As it turns out, there were some patterns applied to said Versa-Pots as well.  Although to date, this appears to be the only one available in the United States (Aside from the solid colors).

While cruising through the Good Will a couple days ago, I notices this Pasta Bowl with the same design as the Burgundy/Cobalt Flower pattern on the Versa-Pot.  I need another pasta tossing bowl like I need another hole in my head so I didn't purchase it... But I snapped a photo with my phone.

Then, cause I am a clever monkey at times, I snapped a photo of the bottom....  Furio Home!  Just like the "Christmas Tree" pattern.  Apparently they were in cahoots in the late 90s.

This allowed me to look through Replacements, LTD for "Furio" and "La Primula" patterns... As it turns out, this really is a full on Furio pattern known as "Jewflora"  (I did not make up the name, it just is what it is) It appears to have been another late 90s pattern, though how long it was available from Corning is unknown at this point.

My particular piece is a 2.5 litre "1156", a strange model number for a Corning Ware piece, but it fits with the model numbers that were being used on the Visions versions.  There were at least 2 other sizes made in this pattern (1 litre - 1174 and 1.5 litre - 1148)

Where is your Corning Ware??
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Seein' Stars - Unknown Black Atomic Star Pattern??

It all started with a conversation on Facebook in one of the Corning Ware collector's groups...   Someone had found a 2 1/2 quart saucepan with an elongated black star pattern on it.   None of us actually knew what the name of it was, cause none of us have seen a boxed piece. Up to that point, the only piece I had ever seen was a chipped and cracked 4 quart P-34-B dutch oven on Etsy over a year ago.  I did not purchase it, nor did I archive a picture of it.  At the time, I assumed it was just a test pattern piece, and I don't really collect those.  Several names were thrown out from Black Star and Atomic Start to Hyper Space and Event Horizon.  I contacted CMOG via email, but have not heard anything back yet...  Honestly, I am still waiting on a reply to an email I sent 6 months ago regarding the Green Wheat/Harvest Wheat/Wheat Floral pattern.

But true to Corning Ware form, cause these things go in waves, a 1 3/4 quart size appeared on eBay less than a month later.  I promptly purchased that one, so I could get a good look at one of these pieces.  It proved to be unmarked on the bottom.  No P-series mark, no embossing.... Nothing.   Which makes even attempting to date it's production virtually impossible, other than "prior to 1972" because of the P-series sized handle lugs.  (top piece)

Sadly, I lost an auction for a 1 quart sized piece last Tuesday, (Which is where this photo is from) So I did not get to add that piece to my collection.

But as with most things, when one door closes, another opens.  I became the owner of a 2 1/2 quart size piece just this morning, thanks to a fellow Facebook user with whom I worked out a trade.  (Thank you Terence!!)

I figured I should have at least 2 pieces in my possession before I wrote a blog post about it. Not that I am going to be able to do a "Big Reveal" on the name or anything, but this post will provide at least SOME information out on the internet about this pattern.

I would be up to only 4 known pieces, if it had not been for the original conversation on Facebook... You see another member graciously posted a picture of a 1 quart Saucemaker she had seen a while back.  (Thank you Heather!!) 

So to date, even though none of us know the name of the pattern and CMOG has not been forthcoming via email, we know there is at least a 1 quart, 1 3/4 quart & 2 1/2 quart saucepans, a 4 quart Dutch Oven (P-34),

a P-10-B Skillet

a 13 inch P-21 Roaster

and the 1 quart Saucemaker.  There even seems to be a P-119 Percolator.

That seems like an awful lot of pieces (8) for it to have been simply a test pattern.  This leads me to believe it may have been one of the patterns made available to Corning Employees in the Employee shop... Like the Christmas/Holiday pieces.

Where is your Corning Ware??

Anybody out there have this pattern with a box??
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Update:   There is a similar pattern to this one, but with a more complicated star pattern.  It has a medallion in the center of the star...    This piece is a 1 1/2 quart size PH-1 1/2-B.

It's the same type of "black", being sort of a dark gunmetal grey color with a slight sheen to it.

Aside from this 1 1/2 quart dish, there also appears to be a PH-34-B (4 quart dutch oven) piece as well.

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