<p>There are many pretty things in the world. We don’t need to own them in order to admire them.</p>
<p>That’s a lovely pattern, Ellebud!</p>
<p>Did a quick skim of the first 42 posts and didn’t see that anyone noted this-- I lived with those scuff marks for years on my stoneware until my mom persuaded me to buy porcelain which doesn’t get marked up. She was right and I haven’t looked back.</p>
<p>worrywart, do you mean the gray and black marks? What kind of porcelain did you get?</p>
<p>I am not clear on the difference between china and porcelain. </p>
<p>I just googled it, and my V&B Audun is porcelain! And it has the worst black/gray marks I’ve ever seen.</p>
<p>Yes, I do mean those marks and am sorry that your experience with porcelain hasn’t been a good one.</p>
<p>I just realized I have so many sets of dishes! I had fiestaware, still have it, but found it too heavy. I had Mikasa - chipped almost immediately. I have spode for christmas, lennox “fancy” dishes, and just bought a new set for my enormous Thanksgiving. I have corelle hiding somewhere as well.</p>
<p>We did buy new everyday dishes and I have to give another shout out for portmerion. However, I have the hummingbird pattern because I love hummingbirds. It’s lightweight but seems indestructible to me. The coffee mugs are my favorite, big mugs but not too thick. We initially bought it on sale and opened a Macy’s card for a bigger discount.</p>
<p>They used to call porceiain…bone china. It WAS bone China. Crushed up bones with clay. Really fine old china is semi see through.</p>
<p>I have a set of plain white dishes from Crate & Barrel that are pretty plain and boring but indestructible – no chips, no marks – they can go in the microwave and oven just fine. Plus some plastic dishes from when the kids were young (I put them in a drawer that was waist-height for me so they could reach them – I guess now since my son is 6’2" I can ditch that, huh?)</p>
<p>I was making a special dinner once and needed 5 or 6 tiny little bowls to put stuff in. I used the ones we got from Disneyworld. I think real chefs use prep bowls from the Magic Kingdom, right?</p>
<p>There are several nice designs from Villeroy & Boch (out of my price range) which claim to be microwave safe.</p>
<p>^I have one those that I use everyday, microwave/dishwasher safe V&B’s. They hold up well, no chips.</p>
<p>I haven’t read through all of the posts, but if you are looking for everyday dishes I highly recommend Denby. They have several patterns in different colors, and some are easily mix and match. They sell them at Macy’s, but I eventually got a set of 12 for about half the retail price from somewhere on-line. They have great mugs in the line - they are quite large and solid. There is also a “seconds” place somewhere in the US, and I received a gift from there and nobody can see what makes the pieces seconds.
Oh yeah… And Overstock sells some of the patterns for what seems like very good prices.</p>
<p>They have buy 1, get 1 free, and an additional 15% off, on lots of brands including Portmeiron and Denby. Tempting.</p>
<p>The Portmeiron hummingbird pattern is beautiful, and I am still in love with the botanical pattern. I am also in love with the WS Pillivuyt basketweave pattern - plain white. </p>
<p>Later this month I’ll see if V&B will do anything about the marked plates. The problem with replacing it is that I have so many pieces, 12 of everything imaginable. </p>
<p>One problem with the Pillivuyt china is that they don’t offer many pieces - dinner plates, salad plates, cereal bowls, soup plates, cups and saucers, mugs. That’s about it.</p>
<p>Buy one place setting and get one free? Holy cats. Is the sale is on now?</p>
<p>I was just at Macy’s last night buying a dress for a wedding we are attending today (nothing like the last minute). I never even looked at the china department. </p>
<p>Probably a good thing.</p>
<p>And free shipping, Agentninenine!</p>
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<p>Er…what other pieces could there be? Are you talking about serving pieces?</p>
<p>The Pillivuyt and Apilco serving pieces are intended to go with all the French porcelain patterns and there is a pretty wide selection in terms of sizes and shapes. I have several pieces of the baking/serving dishes (Ina Garten uses them all the time on Barefoot Contessa) and they are excellent and can be used with any of my other patterns.
<a href=“http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/tabletop-glassware-bar/tabletop-pillivuyt/pillivuyt-tableware-serveware/?cm_type=lnav[/url]”>http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/tabletop-glassware-bar/tabletop-pillivuyt/pillivuyt-tableware-serveware/?cm_type=lnav</a></p>
<p>[White</a> Serveware & White Bakeware | Williams-Sonoma](<a href=“http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/tabletop-glassware-bar/tabletop-apilco/apilco-tableware-serveware/?cm_type=lnav]White”>http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/tabletop-glassware-bar/tabletop-apilco/apilco-tableware-serveware/?cm_type=lnav)</p>
<p>I have some Portmerion Botanic Garden bought in the 90’s, too and while I still love it, it does limit me in terms of tablecloths and other table items and sometimes I feel it’s a bit too 90’s for my current taste.</p>
<p>As you can see, I’m a total convert to the all-white dinnerware. It’s beautiful, classic, nearly indestructible and probably the last ones I’ll ever own.</p>
<p>Jobblue, In my current pattern I also have small fruit bowls and bread and butter plates. The Audun pattern also has these wonderful large breakfast cups and saucers. I haven’t wanted to invest further in this pattern because of the marks. </p>
<p>I don’t really need more serving pieces. I have plenty of platters, etc., that I’ve picked up at Marshall’s, etc., over the years.</p>
<p>Oh, I see what you mean. I also have bread and butter plates in my (now discontinued) Royal Doulton fine china pattern and use them when I’m setting a formal table but mostly don’t bother.</p>
<p>If the fruit bowls, b&b plates, & large breakfast cups and saucers don’t have the unsightly marks you mention could you combine them with the white porcelain? I love mixed and match tables when the pieces are a similar weight and compatible shape.</p>
<p>Joblue, I have too many dishes, but my everyday set has dinner, salad, and bread and butter plates; soup bowls with saucers, flat soup bowls, rice bowls, and two sizes of fruit/sauce bowls; a cup with saucer and a mug. I have way too many serving pieces too.</p>
<p>If your fine china pattern has been discontinued, would you rather try to purchase used pieces from replacements.com or off eBay, or would you prefer to find a new pattern that could coordinate with the old one? </p>
<p>I got burned on an eBay purchase years ago and PayPal was no help so I haven’t been back. Some of the prices on replacements.com seem very high to me; for example, a soup bowl in my pattern is $99.95. That’s nearly enough to tempt me to try eBay again. On the other hand, Macy’s has several platinum rimmed Lenox patterns that might work and their sale prices look good. I guess I need to take inventory and see what’s left after all of the breakage from many moves and a couple of accidents.</p>
<p>I would try ebay again rather than Replacements. I find their prices to be way too high. I’m sorry to hear you had a problem with ebay. I have purchased quite a lot of china, silver and crystal over the years through ebay with only one transaction that was problematic. In that case, the seller was in England so the return process was very difficult. As a result, I now stick to US based sellers only.</p>
<p>I said something the other day about my china, and my daughter (22) asked whether we had ever used it. I used it in the first couple years after I bought it, but now the only china I use is my Lenox Holiday. </p>
<p>Soooo, I would probably try ebay Silpat. If it is Carnation by Royal Doulton, let me know. I have a nearly perfect service for at least twelve. ;)</p>