Gold Sun | Rare 1961 Celestial Pottery

The Gold Sun motif, featuring a sun/star with elegant curling rays, was a personal favourite of Susan Williams-Ellis. Launched in 1961, it perfectly captured the "Atomic" and "Celestial" design trends that were sweeping across Europe and America.

The Lustre Resist Technique (1961–1962)

Initially, Gold Sun was produced using a high-end lustre resist method. This was a labour-intensive and costly process that resulted in some of the most lavishly expensive plates and coffee ware ever produced by Portmeirion.

• The Look: These early pieces have a deep, metallic brilliance where the gold appears "sunken" or integrated into the glaze.

• Rarity: Because of the high production costs, very few of these hand-painted items were made. Today, they are considered "holy grail" items for Portmeirion aficionados.

The Shift to Matt Black (1963)

To make the range more commercially viable, Susan transitioned in 1963 to using gold transfers on matt black items.

• The Design: The contrast of the bright gold sun against the flat, velvet-like black glaze created a strikingly modern, "space age" look.

• The Competition: Despite the beauty of the redesign, the market was flooded with similar celestial motifs at the time. As a result, Gold Sun was discontinued by the mid-sixties, leading to a relatively short production window.

Collector's Value

Because it was not as mass-produced as Totem or Greek Key, Gold Sun is remarkably hard to find. The hand-painted resist plates, in particular, are exceptionally rare. For a collector, finding a bright, unrubbed Gold Sun coffee set is a significant achievement.

Hunting for a rare hand-painted or matt black original? View our Gold Sun archive here.