Lu-Ray Pastel shapes were largely based on the earlier Empire shape designed by J. Palin Thorley.  The line was introduced in 1938 and produced until the early 1960’s.  It was Taylor Smith & Taylor’s most successful line.

Lu-Ray Pastels was Taylor, Smith & Taylor's most popular line of dinnerware. It was first introduced in the summer of 1938 and was discontinued in 1961.

The initial offering consisted of four colors: Persian Cream, Sharon Pink, Windsor Blue, and Surf Green. The soft pastel colors were a contrast to the more bold glazes made popular at the time by Homer Laughlin's Fiesta line. In the late 1940s to early 1950s, a fifth color, Chatham Gray, was added. Of the five glazes, gray is the most difficult to find and is usually priced higher as a result.