Heisey Sahara Color
Heisey Collectors of America, Inc.
COLOR OF THE MONTH
SAHARA
By Frances Law
This is a golden yellow, and, as the name would indicate, it suggests the golden sands of the desert. It is a rich and attractive tone. Sahara was made in a many different patterns with #1401 Empress having the widest assortment of pieces as well as #1404 Old Sandwich, #1405 Ipswich, and #1186 Yeoman. Several stemware lines offered items in Sahara: #3390 Carcassonne, #3381 Creole, and #3380 Old Dominion. Many patterns offered only a few items. Highly sought after patterns in Sahara are, #1447 Rococo, #1425 Victorian and #3404 Spanish, to name just a few. Many rare items can be had in Sahara, but you will search long and hard to find them.
Taken from the Heisey News:
We like Virginia McClean's description of this color. "It is a true sunny yellow, not amber."
This light yellow was very popular, and it should be easy to find. There are varying shades of Sahara from dark yellow to light. This difference in shading is due, to either the thickness of the piece or the amount of time in the cooking pot. The longer the time in the pot, the paler the color. It was difficult under extremely high temperature to maintain the same exact color for any length of time.
It is believed that Marigold was a forerunner of Sahara. When it proved difficult to produce the marigold, the formula was changed, and presto! Sahara. This was a more stable color, and it was produced in quantity.
Production of Sahara was begun around 1924, according to all information we found. It was a great roaring twenties color and lasted till around 1936. It is difficult to put down exact dates, so we list approximate ones. This gives the reader some idea of period of manufacture.
We love the sunny yellow of Sahara. A statement of this fact was made to my husband once; the next Christmas under the Christmas tree was a large box filled with Sahara. It contained place settings for eight in all pieces, even little wines. So far, only four dinner plates have been found, but it is fun to look for them. Sahara sets a beautiful table, especially in a dining room with touches of gold or yellow. This set of lovely dishes is really cherished and used by yours truly.
It is debatable as to which color can be found easier, Moongleam or Sahara. Vogel ranks Sahara as number twenty on his rarity color chart, next to Flamingo, which is most available. Moongleam tops Sahara at nineteen, and possibly is a bit scarcer. Regardless of rank, it is a beautiful color and you should be able to find pieces to add to your color collection. The tulip vase and Warwick vases are especially lovely in this color being a deeper yellow because of glass thickness.
In passing, let us add that the Yeakley book has two beautiful color plates, 9 and 10, of Sahara. If you study the plates the variation in color is shown very well. by Frances Law
Vol. 1 No. 12 Official Publication Heisey Collectors of America December 25, 1972