A question from a reader, Rebecca, started me on a search for the Halo pattern by Mikasa, part of the vintage Cerastone line. She found some pieces, and wants to add to her set.
What to do, when you're looking for missing pieces in a vintage dinnerware pattern?
The hunt starts with finding out as much as you can about the china. Cerastone is vintage Mikasa. Many of these patterns have a decidedly retro look of the 1970s, especially those with pattern numbers in the 3000 series. Halo is No. 3190.
Cerastone is similar to English ironstone we're familiar with. The weight and feel of the dishes falls somewhere between porcelain and stoneware on the ceramics spectrum.
The Gem pattern by Mikasa is also in this product line.
The photo shows a mismatched cup and saucer. The saucer is Tiki, one of the Cerastone patterns. It features a geometric motif in dark and light aqua on white.
The cup is from Mikasa's Mediterrania line, ironstone china very similar to the Cerastone. It has a foot that's a little too small for the indent on the saucer, but the blue looks fine with the patterned saucer.
In a pinch, cups similar to this could work with Rebecca's Halo saucers, if found in a color that coordinates with the turquoise and green motif of that pattern.
I believe the matching Halo cups will be white on the inside and either solid turquoise blue or green on the outside, but without the speckle that these Mediterrania cups have.
The Halo cups are also likely to be similar in shape to those that go with other Cerastone patterns in the 3000 pattern number series, such as Tampa or Green Wood. Photos of these cups and saucers are available online. There is also a photo of the creamer that goes with the Gem pattern available. We can use that to theorize what the color and handle shape of Halo cups might be.
The good news
Most Mikasa Cerastone pieces are marked with the pattern name. When dinner plates are found, it will be easy to be sure they are Halo.
The cups are probably solid color on the outside, white on the inside, and were made for several Cerastone patterns, including Halo, so there should be a reasonable number of them available in the secondary marketplace.
The shapes of the cups in the Tampa and Green Wood patterns are different, as well as the handle shapes. These shapes can give a clue to the matching cups, especially if a Halo creamer, teapot or other pieces with handles are available to compare.
The diameter of the indent space on the saucers can provide another clue. The foot of the Halo cups will fit into this circle, which can help identify the matching cups.
The bad news
Looks like the Halo pattern is hard to find. I did not find a photo online. Nevertheless, there are some other pieces out there, including cups and dinner plates.
Suggestions
- Put a Want it Now on eBay and see if anyone has this china to offer.
- Shop other online marketplaces that include sellers of vintage goods, such as Bonanza and Ruby Plaza.
- Look for pieces in another Cerastone pattern, or in Mikasa's Mediterrania line, that will complement the colors and motif of the Halo pieces. These can function in a pinch, while the search continues.
- Select some complementary pieces in another china pattern that has the same sleek retro lines, and have some fun with mixing and matching your china.
I know from experience that this china could turn up tomorrow, or the hunt could take a lot longer. In any case, enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and your Halo pattern pieces!
by 
Good news!! You can now snag a picture of the Mikasa Halo 3190 pattern from my flickr page if you’d like. I found your website by googling the above and trying to find more info on these dishes I recently bought at a thrift store. If you’d like to update your blog post w/ a picture, you can find a few of them on my flickr page :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/myvintagewhimsy/5512689898/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Hope this helps you out!!
Lori, thanks for the link to the Halo saucers photo! It shows the motif very clearly. These will go great with some blue or green cups from the Mikasa Cerastone line!
my mom has old set of mikasa china pattern 8267 cotillion can u sugest a web site to find out how to price it out?
Hello Carol,
I send people to Replacements dot com, and to look at completed listings search on eBay. Both are sources where you can see what things are listed for, and in the case of eBay, whether they are selling there and for what price.
Good luck with your project!