Thanks for the great tip! I will have to try that. There are many a time that I sliced my fingers on a sharp piece of dishes/pottery in a mosaic particularly while grouting. I just can't grout without spreading it on with my hands and latex or playtex gloves just don't hold up.

I have asked area TS to let me know when they have broken china, pottery, etc. but they aren't very agreeable about it. One store told me to ask for discount if I find something broken or chipped. I thought that was kind of stupid because it would encourage me to break stuff. Your TS certainly has the right idea! If they refused to sell things as they are broken but stockpiled them to sell in the laundry baskets that would prevent people from breaking things because they would have no idea when the item they want would go on sale. I should suggest that to area thrift stores around here. Now the $10 for the BBs is kind of steep!

Hi perhaps this may be of benefit albeit a bit late. HB Henriot Faiencerie de Quimper continues to produce it's collection/line today and ever painstakingly so. Truly in keeping with their time honored 300+ plus year tradition, where-in each piece is hand painted by one of their acclaimed family of artisans. Frankly, it is fascinating simply to learn of the pure process maintained in production. There are indeed culprits/companies which attempt to fabricate/knock-off the brand and continue to make claims to selling the Authentic HB Quimper pure rubbish. Sadly the uninformed and unsuspecting are duped! There is in fact Only One HB-Henriot Quimper in the entire world, much likened to each of their exquisite and highly covetted pieces!I myself happen to adore their Botanicals Collection. In any event the sole USA Importer and Distributor for HB-Henriot Faiencerie de Quimper is indeed Marguerite Dorger Inc. And Margi,it just so happens indeed is a former president of Haviland Limoges Porcelain! So I would suggest you definitely contact her. She will no doubt have answers for you and at the very least can point you in the right direction she has an impeccable reputation and happens to be a Great Gal. Here is the url for her website, www.margueritedorgerinc.com Hope my contribution here proves helpful! And BTW.. Your grandmothers pieces are truly quite lovely! Thank you so very much for sharing them! Regards, sj

I've been following this thread and wanted to throw in my two cents for encouragement. I have a twist on a Scriptural truth that I do live by, "Don't expect to get what you want, if you don't ask specifically." Do not talk to anyone about a grievance unless you are prepared to state the remedy to the matter that will leave you in a justified state; so that you will be able to recommend a contractor's work again. Just compensation for the grievance(s) need to be accurate and stated firmly, but not harshly. At this point, it's best you put this in writing so that he can think about all of this before you see him again. I formed a little something for you to see what I was thinking. "You know John, I was excited about working with you on our kitchen. I had every confidence that you had the skill to handle this job. However, I must tell you that even though the wood floors are beautiful and the cabinets are coming along, and I do believe you will get them right, I have to tell you, this granite situation is not working for us at all. The bottom-line is: I want that counter with the broken granite replaced. We've worked hard for our money and I wanted a brand new kitchen without compromises. I don't want repaired granite, I wanted granite installed and fabricated by professionals correctly. With all of these delays and mistakes, I feel as though I'm paying for you to attend a granite seminar and you're the student. When you installed granite that had been cracked and you repaired it, yet failed to admit it to us, I was deeply disturbed and frustrated with this situation. I would be thrilled with your fix had my child broken the granite and you did that repair; but in this case, we are paying for brand new counters that we expect to be made of solid and unbroken granite. Anyway you look at it, it is broken and I want it replaced. Nothing else will satisfy me concerning the broken granite. As for the template layout, I do believe that if I had been present when you laid out the template on the granite, then we would not have had the other problems with the grain running in the wrong direction. If we work this out, I want to be present when you layout the next templates. You want to be satisfied with us paying you. I want to be satisfied for what we contracted you to provide. We are already weeks behind schedule. If you cannot get this granite finished professionally and installed by date certain, then please let me know as soon as possible. I know this is very stressful on you, so if you do not want to finish the granite that is OK; we think it more than fair that you deduct the price of all of the charges associated with fabricating the granite counter tops from our contract; we will then go with another fabricator and start over. Please let me know your decision as soon as possible." And remember, "Don't expect to get what you want, if you don't ask specifically." Also, let this be a 'lesson' for anyone shopping for granite: be present when templating and when laying out your templates on your granite. There was a gal on GW a few years ago that had the grain running in the wrong direction on each side of her range. I do not believe her fabricator changed her granite. Her entire kitchen was a mess. The templates were placed on the granite any which way, just to save stone, with no thought or care to how the finished product looked.