I’m on my third set of everyday dishes in the last several years. After a short while, they start to show lots of gray scratches from the stainless cutlery. I’m just putting away my Christmas dishes and hate to bring out those awful looking dishes again, and want to buy something new that is resistant to scratches. I know that Bar Keeper’s Friend, Cameo, etc. remove the scratches, but I don’t want to scrub a service for 12 weekly - the scratches come back immediately. I’ve read that the amount of nickel in the flatware is to blame? Less nickel means fewer scratches? Apparently, if the flatware is softer than the glaze, it will leave scratches, and the nickel makes the stainless softer. I’ve read all sorts of advice - stoneware scratches more easily, porcelain is better, but I really have no idea. The odd thing is that my Christmas dishes - which are old and an unknown brand, don’t scratch at all. Neither does my fine china, but that may be because we only using silverware with it?
I bought a set of white Ikea dishes when we downsized. They became covered in scratches from the cutlery immediately. I have since replaced them with a higher quality china (Burleigh) and, voila, no scratches. I think it has to do with the quality of the glaze, not the cutlery. I’ve been using the same wedding stainless steel cutlery for 30 years and these were the first dishes to ever scratch.
Get better quality dishes…or get Corelle. They won’t scratch. The new white Corelle is nice!
It has nothing to do with the quality of the dishes (these are Juliska), but rather the hardness of the glaze, possibly?
I know that Corelle doesn’t scratch, but I hate the plastic-y look and feel.
Some of the new Corelle is nicer!
Could you get darker dishes? My everyday dishes are stoneware in darker colors - burgundy, royal blue, and a deep green - and I don’t have that problem. I did when I had cream-colored stoneware.
Have you tried Bar Keeper’s friend? Supposedly it cleans those marks off.
Ooops - just saw that you don’t want to do that. Never mind.
I have two sets of white dishes. One set is stoneware from Mikasa. They have the gray marks, but I have had them for 30+ years. We have another set that is Better Homes and Gardens. We have only been using them 1 year (came in the partially furnished place we are in) and they don’t have any marks (yet).
I have been thinking about that, @Pizzagirl, but I haven’t found a color/pattern that will look okay in my kitchen and haven’t seen anything. As an avid cook, I really like the way food looks on a white or off white background. I had a set of Dansk years ago - before I got married, and those didn’t scratch. The current Dansk is too modern for my house. I’ve always liked Spode Delamere - has anyone had good luck with it?
I use china, a blue pattern, I can’t remember what you call it. Wexford. Anyway, the pattern obscures any marks.
On the downside, I’m totally sick of that pattern.
I too love white or slightly ornamented plates! I would go to a china shop with your silverware (if you intend to keep the silverware) and do a field test! 
I recently updated both my dishes and silverware, so I cannot say with certainty what helped! The silverware is Nambe, and the dishes are Villeroy and Bosch, fwiw.
I’ve had my eye on the Juliska Berry & Thread dinnerware for a while. Which pattern do you have?
I’ve never had these marks on my Willaim Sonomo Brasserie porcelain dishes and they are 25 years old.
Paging @Consolation, our resident china expert!
I have the thread and berry - so sad because it is a beautiful pattern. I also have several of their pewter finish ceramic serving pieces, which don’t show marks, but I hand wash them because I’ve read that that the dishwasher will dull the metallic luster. I would love to get that dinnerware, but I don’t want to hand wash everything!
My stainless flatware is Retroneau - I’ve had it for four or five years and it looks fabulous - looks new and no spotting, otherwise I would consider it the culprit. I’m going to do some research on flatware and look at the metal content. @BunsenBurner do you know the content of your Nambe stainless? Retroneau is 18/10 - maybe that’s too soft?
It is also 18/10 - the style is called “Anna.” I replaced my everyday dishes at the same time with VB “Twist Alea,” so it is not a controlled experiment. I like the Nambe set because the pieces are heavy and modern-looking.
I’ve never seen gray scratches on any of my china. So-called “knife marks” are common on well-used bone china, but they aren’t gray.
I just took a look at the stuff in the kitchen, and noted that there is grayish wear at the bottom of some of the mugs, all of which are what I would call “pottery” or maybe “ceramic” as opposed to china or porcelain, and all of which have white glazed interiors. Some of them are at least 20 years old, and have less than the more recently purchased over-sized white cups from Crate and Barrel. I would venture to guess that it has to do with the quality or depth of the glaze(s) or paints, but it is also true that the kitchen stuff usually comes in contact with stainless and the other stuff with silver.
I don’t like stoneware so I don’t have any, and don’t know how it performs.
Anyone else remember the discussion about the Villeroy and Bosch pattern Audun that some of us like so much developing stray gray marks?
http://www.villeroy-boch.com/shop/bestsellers-dinnerware/audun-dinnerware.html
If you like creamware, I love Wedgwood’s classic Edme, one of my absolute favorites.
http://www.wedgwood.co.uk/tableware/by-collection/edme
Wedgwood has a variety of white patterns these days, ranging from classic to contemporary.
I have some Matceramica dishes from Portugal. No marks at all. I was thinking that maybe it’s your flatware but I have some Japanese bowls (stoneware) that have some marks although it blends in nicely with the pattern.
The Portuguese dish company (I got mine at Home Goods) -
http://www.replacements.com/webquote/M2AVENLB.htm?rplSrc=GPLA&rplSubEvent=2954150&productTargetID=99733564734&dvc=c&rplsku=7611469&mkwid=s99733564734%7Cpcrid%7C%7Cpkw%7C%7Cpmt%7C%7Cpdv%7Cc&gclid=CNe5x4O3ncoCFQYbaQodFpQDgg
I bought a set of vintage Corelle, and I love them so much for everyday. They are almost unbreakable (unless your DH drives off with one one top of his car…) and the best thing about them is they nest in a very small area. I used to have Pfaltzgraff, and besides the gray scratches, they took up SOOOO much space. I can get my entire set of Corelle into the dishwasher no problem.
I don’t get any black or grey marks on my Villeroy and Boch.
**What causes the gray marks on my Fiesta® Dinnerware? **
Gray marks on pottery are very common especially on lighter glazed colors. This is not an imperfection in the ware; simply caused when metal flatware comes into contact with glazes that are actually a harder substance than the metal itself. Glazes look and feel smooth to the touch but actually there are microscopic divots where the marks collect as the flatware is moved over them. Many consumers consider the marks scratches, however there is usually no damage to the glaze or pottery itself.
**How do I clean marks off my Fiesta® Dinnerware? **
Metal markings can be removed by a wide variety of products on the market today including Zud, Bar Keepers Friend, and Porcelain cleaners. The product recommended to us by several customers and one we find works best is Wrights Copper Cleaner which can be found at most grocery stores.