Ruska Blue is a super rare special colour variation of the Ruska series from 1963. The popular Ruska series designed by Ulla Procopé was produced for over 40 years, so it is no surprise that the blue version, even with its quality challenges, is a highly valuable collector's dish due to its limited availability.
You can find several explanations for the origin this special colour edition, for example that it was "a test colour" that did not remain in production or "a special batch for export". However, our shopkeeper, Tiina, has heard a different explanation from former Arabia employees:
According to their story, an error was made at the Arabia factory while mixing Ruska's glaze: a colour pigment was forgotten from one batch. As a result a single batch of amazing blue-green Ruska was born! The whole batch was bought by a local cooperative chain OTK and sold as a promotional product. Unfortunately this story isn't confirmed by any literature on Arabia.
The quality of blue-green Ruska seems to vary similarly to the brown version. The black iron powder is applied by spraying, which creates an uneven black surface on the dish. The thickness of the glaze also varies, so the turquoise surface is has lighter and darker areas. The batch was stamped in white on top of the glazing, and these stamps wear off easily in use. Some Ruska Blue dishes are Class 2 quality, as during firing, bubbles have formed in places where the glaze was thick.
Thanks to the tranquil matte glazing, Ruska Blue creates a subtle, yet beautiful contrast to the food served.
A set of a cup and a saucer for hot drinks. Usually used for serving tea, but also hot chocolate or coffee with milk. Did you know that Finnish vintage teacups are actually rarer than the coffee cups? This why they are also more valuable.
This rare Ruska blue teacup has minor imperfections such as uneven colour with lighter spots, and a few tiny lumps or dents on the glazing. Please see the photos.
See our Arabia Ruska Collection for more.
