Calling all china mavens

Parent Cafe
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<p>This is a timely thread for me, as I’ve recently decided to try to purchase some pieces of the china we had as a child. It’s manufactured in Hungary and is available from a couple of vendors on Ebay who have very good ratings but are in Hungary. Even taking shipping into account their prices are cheaper than U.S. retailers. I appreciate the caution above about international vendors, but I’d also like to hear any advice to the contrary.</p>

<p>In addition, do any of you have suggestions about finding a set of older china like this? It’s still being manufactured but has been around for a long time. I keep thinking there’s probably someone who doesn’t use their set anymore and would sell it at a reasonable price to someone who’d appreciate it but, other than word of mouth and Craigslist/ estate sale searches, I’m not sure how to find them. I did see a set on a recent out-of-state Craigslist for $9,000! Ah, no thanks.</p>

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<p>I read in one of the china discussions that somebody didnt like noritake, I think. Could whoever that was tell me more about that? My cousin registered for some for her wedding, which my mom liked so much she bought for herself, and I am considering a similar maneuver… At least I think I remember that right.</p>

<p>The only other thing that’s caught my eye so far, not that I’ve gone shopping properly yet, is the fiesta stuff… But I don’t think the colors I like “go” with my kitchen.</p>

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<p>Zip: Have you checked e-bay or Replacements.com? That’s where I always start. Sorry, can’t help with the overseas vendors.</p>

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<p>Noritake is a Japanese manufacturer. Post WW2 they were known for “cheap copies of English china.” They were the first to use transfers as opposed to the hand painting of the English/French/German (Meissen) china. </p>

<p>Good and bad news. It works just as any thing does. It is more affordable. But it won’t accrue in value. (And that is to say that in 200 years, if the china hasn’t been dinged, have knife scrathes whatever…it won’t accrue in value.)</p>

<p>If you like it…buy it.</p>

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<p>You might be thinking of me, Ema. I don’t like my Noritake Colorwave stoneware because of chipping, grey marks, and cracking in the microwave. I also have one of their china patterns and those pieces are fine.</p>

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<p>For everyday dishes, I like a plain white or off white dish that lets the food take the stage. My current favorite is the Pilluvuyt basket weave pattern. Wedgewood also makes an indestructible and popular everyday dish. I have my own good china and also inherited a Noritake set that my family used to use for holidays. It has sentimental value but is really quite inexpensive, even on Replacements. I use it a lot now, even for casual company.</p>

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<p>Agentninetynine, thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I’ve been watching ebay and have also checked Replacements. Both are pretty expensive but I’ll keep looking.</p>

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<p>This a dangerous (to my wallet!) thread! Mr B says that I go nuts about 2 things: light fixtures and china. :)</p>

<p>See-through china… When I was shopping for a tea set in St Petersburg a few years ago, the SA took one cup and let me look at the light through its bottom to demonstrate that I was holding the “real deal”. I was afraid to pay big $$ for something that might not have survived the flight back to the US, so this is what I ended up getting:</p>

<p>[Forget</a> Me Not](<a href=“http://www.ekaterinas.com/forget-me-not]Forget”>http://www.ekaterinas.com/forget-me-not)</p>

<p>It made the trip in my carryon just fine. Not bone china, but still pretty IMO.</p>

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<p>Very pretty, BB.</p>

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<p>For everyday I have Fiesta. I think my color has been discontinued, but I have had it for almost 14 years without issue. Very hearty. For my good china I have wedgewood. It requires hand washing but I love it. I call everyday dishes “dishes” and formal stuff china.</p>

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<p>I have a surplus of dishes. We use the white porcelain Royal Doutlon for everyday. We also have Lenox plates, and holiday dessert plates, cups and saucers. And we have a set of blue and white Johns Bros Old Britain Castles. And we have a bunch of luncheon plates that are all all sorts of patterns and colors that coordinate well with the white RD dishes.</p>

<p>I saw a set of Franciscan today and I really want to buy it…but I won’t. </p>

<p>Don’t get me going about serving pieces…we have way too many of those too.</p>

<p>Righty now…I have no stoneware. That is what chips and cracks in this house.</p>

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<p>There speaks a woman who does not suffer from The China Disease. :)</p>

<p>Ellebud, nice pattern. I’ve been afraid to even open this thread. :D</p>

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<p>No kidding. My husband jokes that we are buying the Labor Day china next. I love dishes and we lived in Germany the first three years we were married. Between the dishes and the crystal, I may never be able to move from this house.</p>

<p>When hubby was active duty, we had movers.</p>

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<p>ARGH I wrote a long post and it was wiped out by the editing deadline. I’ll try again.</p>

<p>Bone china, and (perhaps to a lesser extent porcelain) is less prone to chipping than the various forms of earthenware. </p>

<p>[Bone</a> china - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_china]Bone”>Bone china - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>So with Wedgewood, for example, their bone china patterns chip less than their Queensware patterns, such as Edme. (I love Edme. I have a suite of serving pieces in Edme, since they harmonize with virtually all English bone china. Queensware is a form of fine earthenware known as creamware. I am particularly fond of it.)</p>

<p>My current kitchen plates are a comparatively recent Wedgewood line called Windsor. They look similar to Edme–although not as nice–and wear like iron. MW/DW safe.</p>

<p>English bone china generally has a very slightly creamy cast to the background, in comparison to the blue white porcelain of French and other continental makers.</p>

<p>I think that my favorite maker is Minton, with older Wedgewood second.</p>

<p>This is my favorite pattern:</p>

<p><a href=“Search | Replacements, Ltd.”>Search | Replacements, Ltd.;

<p>To my taste, the UK patterns have degenerated in recent decades. If I were buying fine china now, I would be looking at either vintage Minton/Wedgewood/Coalport, or at the French Limoges (Reynaud, Havilland, et al) or at Ginori, which makes some knock offs of the others and some interesting stuff of its own, or Mottadeh.</p>

<p>Audun by V&B is a pattern I’ve been tempted to buy, if I had any money. (The only V&B pattern that I really like.) Sorry to hear that it has these problems.</p>

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<p>Thanks to whoever mentioned (I’m not going to reread!) the Macy’s BOGO that ends today. Needed to replace my chipped everyday Mikasa and I have had a hankering for white dishes and made in USA. Went to Macy’s and the Lennox Outlet yesterday to see and feel, also looked again at Williams-Sonoma. I just placed an online order at Macys for 8 place settings of “Tin Can Alley” for the price of 4, with free shipping. Also was able to apply a 20% off coupon that I had. Think I got a great deal!</p>

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<p>Argggh. One day too late. Just reading about the Macy’s sale that ended few hours ago. Need to replace everyday stuff as our old stuff is mucho chipped and the platinum ring has gone down the dishwasher drain.</p>

<p>Have lots of Wedgwood Amherst (our ‘good’ china) that we only use few times a year. Trying to talk DH into using them as daily plates but he’s resistant.</p>

<p>The way I look at it, don’t see my kids using fine china in their future life, so we might as well use them up while we still can.</p>

<p>Thinking about getting Simply Lenox. Anyone with experience?</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.herbergers.com/shop/home/simply-fine-lenox-flourish-dinnerware_154851.html[/url]”>http://www.herbergers.com/shop/home/simply-fine-lenox-flourish-dinnerware_154851.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>ETA: looks like Macy’s still has 2 for 1 on some patterns. Not the one I’m looking at though.</p>

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<p>I personally dislike Lenox for aesthetic reasons. I really do not like the background color of their patterns because it is too dark a cream for my taste. </p>

<p>I’ll be frank: I particularly dislike Eternal, which seems to be the pattern chosen by many people who haven’t developed their own taste in china and want to pick something “safe.” I think it is the quintessential pattern that people register for, and then it sits in a cupboard because they think it is too good to use.</p>

<p>Other than that, I haven’t heard anything negative about how Lenox wears. (Probably because most of the people who buy it rarely use it. :smiley: I’ll stop and be good now.)</p>

<p>Please don’t be insulted if you like it. You would probably hate my china. That’s okay!</p>

<p>This is an ironstone pattern I’ve always liked. It actually looks much prettier in real life. I don’t think the delicacy of the colors photographs well:</p>

<p><a href=“adams calyx ware singapore bird | eBay”>adams calyx ware singapore bird for sale | eBay;

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<p>Consolation: I don’t care for the yellowish Lenox either. Hence the Wedgwood I own. </p>

<p>However, this Simply Lenox line is bone china and white. Also oven, freezer safe. For some reason, I really like the shape of the bowls.</p>

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<p>My wedding china was Lenox Solitaire, because my husband and I couldn’t agree and that was the compromise. (Fortunately, I had picked out my silver pattern while in middle school.) I still use my Lennox and find it easy to mix and match with other patterns. It has worn well, but I don’t run it through the dishwasher because of the silver band. Maybe I could without problem? Sometimes I use it with my Thanksgiving Spode if I need pieces I don’t have in the Spode. The cream background of the Lenox is perfect with that Spode. Sometimes I use it as a dessert set, since I have inherited parts of china sets and may have dinner plates but not dessert to match. I put all the modern Spode in the dishwasher.</p>

<p>At this point, I wish I’d picked the Eternal rather than the Solitaire because I have ended up with a lot of dishes with gold bands and it would work with that pretty well. Lots of times, I purposefully want a more mix and match look on the table.</p>

<p>ETA: could someone please post a link to Labor Day china? I don’t have any yet either.</p>

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<p>alh: We’ve run our platinum edged Wedgwood through the d/w these 20 years, albeit a handful of times each year. There’s starting to be some loss of the platinum, esp in the inner ring, but I’m OK with that. If I had to handwash 12 settings after each holiday, we’d never have another holiday dinner. </p>

<p>Also, I understand one can get the platinum redone but I’d guess it might be cheaper just to buy new ones.</p>

<p>Consolation: gorgeous pattern. Not our style though :)</p>

<p>I once knew a guy who loved Wedgwood, esp the rounded cups. He bought one place setting of every pattern then available (he had disposable income) which was 100+ sets, and rotated displaying a few in his house at any given time. It was amusing.</p>