If you grew up in the 1970s or 1980s, there's a good chance someone you knew hosted a Tiara party. A friendly sales rep set up a table of jewel-toned glass in a living room, the hostess earned free pieces, and guests went home with amber Sandwich glass, a ruby goblet set or a bright green vase. Much of that glass came from one factory in Dunkirk, Indiana, and today it turns up everywhere from estate sales to grandma's china cabinet.
Our Indiana Glass red carnival basket in fiery Sunset amberina is in the shop now for $58, and it's the only one we have.
See the Indiana Glass basket →
What was Tiara Exclusives?
Tiara Exclusives was a direct-sales glassware company based in Dunkirk, Indiana. Instead of selling in stores, it sold through home parties, the same way Tupperware and Avon did. Collector references generally date the line from about 1970 to 1998, with the earliest offerings (a small selection of ruby red) appearing around 1969 or 1970. Tiara and the Indiana Glass Company were both owned by Lancaster Colony Corporation, and their offices sat right next to each other, so it makes sense that Indiana made a huge share of Tiara's glass.
Indiana wasn't the only supplier, though. Over the years Tiara also sold pieces made by other factories, including Fenton and L.E. Smith, especially after Indiana closed its handmade glass shop in 1989. Lancaster Colony shut down the Tiara party business in 1998.
A little Indiana Glass background
The Indiana Glass Company formally began in 1908 in Dunkirk, in a building that had started life as a railroad car shop. It became one of the big names in Depression-era pressed glass, with patterns like Sandwich, Avocado and Tea Room. Lancaster Glass bought the company in 1956, and it became part of Lancaster Colony a few years later. Glassmaking at the Dunkirk plant ended in 2002.
In the 1970s Indiana also became a major maker of revival carnival glass, starting with iridescent blue in 1971 and adding colors like Sunset (a red-orange amberina), gold, lime and amethyst. Indiana's revival carnival generally isn't marked, so collectors identify it by color, shine and pattern.
Signature Tiara colors
Tiara gave its colors their own catalog names, which is why sellers sometimes use names you won't find in a regular glass book. Colors you'll see most often include:
- Gold or Golden Amber: Tiara's name for its warm amber, sold through the 1970s and 1980s. Collectors usually just say "amber." It is the color most people picture when they think of Tiara Sandwich.
- Ruby red: one of the very first Tiara colors, used for Sandwich goblets, plates, pitchers and wine sets.
- Chantilly green: a soft, pale green.
- Spruce green: a deeper teal green.
- Emerald green: a rich bottle green, used for vases and decorative pieces.
- Sunset: a red-to-orange amberina blend.
- Colonial or Bicentennial blue: a smoky blue Sandwich series introduced in 1976 as a limited bicentennial set.
- Black: glossy black glass, used for bowls, candy jars and other decorative pieces.
- Others: peach, horizon blue, cobalt, amethyst, teal, lime, smoke, pink and clear crystal all show up in collector lists.
Color names can overlap from source to source, so if a seller calls something "teal" and another calls it "spruce," they may mean the same thing.
Well-known Tiara designs
- Sandwich glass: Tiara's best-known line. It was Indiana's own old No. 170 Sandwich pattern, a Depression-era design brought back in party colors, with some extra pieces made from molds Indiana got from Duncan & Miller. You'll find plates, goblets, pitchers, canisters, candy jars, platters and more.
- The parrot or lovebird vase: a tall (about 9 1/2") vase with a pair of birds perched among raised flowers and leaves. A collector-compiled Tiara product list shows it made from an Indiana Glass lovebird mold, in green around 1975 and in blue a few years later. Some versions are textured all over, which makes the color shimmer as you turn it.
- Reissued Depression patterns: besides Sandwich, Tiara brought back other old Indiana designs, such as the Avocado (Sweet Pear) pattern.
- Bird of Paradise, Monarch and more: decorative bowls, vanity trays, candy jars and vases in Tiara colors turn up often, along with annual bells and hostess gifts.
See it in person: Indiana Glass in the shop
These pieces all came from Indiana Glass, the Dunkirk factory that made so much of Tiara's glass. Each one is a single piece, so when it's gone, it's gone.
How Tiara glass was marked (or not)
- Paper labels: Tiara pieces were sold with a "Tiara Exclusives" paper sticker. The glass itself usually isn't marked "Tiara," so once the sticker is washed off, the piece looks unsigned.
- Catalog numbers: Tiara used five-digit item numbers (10054, for example) in its catalogs and paperwork. A number on an original box or brochure is helpful, but one number sometimes covered several items or colors.
- Original boxes and brochures: these are the best proof you have a Tiara piece, and they add a little to value.
Tiara, Indiana, Anchor Hocking or Duncan & Miller?
Lots of companies made a pattern called "Sandwich," named after the 1800s Boston & Sandwich Glass Company. Here's how collectors usually tell the common ones apart:
- Indiana and Tiara Sandwich: simple, rounded flowers with a single outline, connected by long flowing scrolls that don't meet in the middle. Since Tiara Sandwich came from Indiana's molds, the difference between a 1930s Indiana piece and a 1970s Tiara piece is mostly color. Party colors like amber, chantilly green and spruce point to the Tiara years.
- Anchor Hocking Sandwich: the flowers have a double line around the petals, and the scrolls are packed more tightly. It came in crystal, ruby red and forest green, plus some amber, pink and white. A lot of it was given away as promotions at gas stations and grocery stores, and in oatmeal boxes.
- Duncan & Miller Early American Sandwich: generally considered the finest of the bunch, made until 1955. Look for crisper, more detailed flowers and a small diamond shape connecting the scrolls. Because Indiana bought some Duncan molds, a few Tiara shapes match Duncan shapes, so compare the quality and color.
Not sure? Our guide to pressed glass vs. cut crystal covers the mold seams and other clues that every piece of Sandwich glass will show.
Condition checks before you buy
- Rims and feet: run a finger along the edges and the base for chips and flea bites.
- Scratches and wear: plates and platters often show utensil marks; bases show a ring of wear from years on a shelf.
- Cloudiness: a milky haze that won't wash off is usually "sick glass" from dishwasher use, and it can't be fully fixed.
- Lids: canisters and candy jars should have lids that match in color and fit well.
- Carnival shine: on iridescent pieces, check that the finish is even and not worn off in spots.
Caring for Tiara and Indiana glass
Wash by hand in lukewarm water with mild soap, and skip the dishwasher, which can cloud the glass and strip carnival shine. Avoid sudden temperature changes, and dry with a soft towel. A sunny window makes colored glass glow, but keep anything with an iridescent finish out of strong, all-day sun.
Indiana Glass in the shop
- Indiana Glass red carnival glass basket in Sunset amberina, with a hobstar pattern and ruby handle from the 1970s.
- Indiana Glass blue carnival Harvest Grape pedestal compote with lid, perfect as a candy dish.
- Indiana Glass blue carnival Harvest Grape oval footed bowl, with a scalloped edge and grapevine pattern.
- Indiana Glass blue carnival Harvest Grape goblet, a sweet single to start or add to a set.
Keep browsing:
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Keep reading: What Is Carnival Glass? · What Is Milk Glass? · What Is Slag Glass? · Pressed Glass vs. Cut Crystal
Did anyone in your family host a Tiara party, or is there a piece of amber Sandwich glass you still remember on someone's table? We'd love to hear the story.
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