Yellow Ware, a Popular Collectible

Hi.

It is much colder today in New Jersey, but the sun is coming out after last night's rain.  It should be a nice day.

I became interested in collecting yellow ware recently and decided to incorporate yellow into my blue and white kitchen.  Yellow ware is a ceramic.  Yellow clay along the river banks in the Northeast is fired and results in yellow the color of corn to a dark mustard yellow.  It was developed and became popular from about 1830 to 1940 because it is sturdy and was low in cost.  With the interest in collecting yellow ware rising, values have increased.  Yellow ware has a clear glaze all over, with the exception of the base of each piece.  Only a small proportion of yellow ware has any maker's marks, so the pieces bearing marks are more valuable.  Without markings, it is very difficult to determine the age of a piece of yellow ware.

You should be aware that the glaze used on yellow ware contains lead.  You should avoid using yellow ware to prepare food if there are any chips in the piece.  To avoid lead being extracted from the glaze, yellow ware should also not be used to store food in the refrigerator, bake food or cook food with acidic ingredients.

If you plan to use yellow ware only as a collectible for display, the glaze will not leach lead into any food.

There are many beautiful yellow ware pieces available, including bowls of various sizes, mixing bowls, and pitchers.  These photos show a few beautiful pieces.  This medium sized yellow ware bowl has white stripes.

This is a larger bowl decorated for fall.

This is a beautiful mixing bowl.

This a a beautiful yellow ware pitcher.

Collecting yellow ware can be fun and these beautiful pieces mix very well with more modern decor.  The muted yellow coloring blends well with blues, browns, greens, and reds, the colors most often used in decor.

Please let me know what topics are of interest for future posts!

I hope you have a great weekend.

Sincerely,
Lynn