Educate me on fine china brands in the U.S.
Could you, fellow GWers, enlighten me on fine dinnerware brands common in the U.S.? Which brands are definitely worth buying second hand?
I'm partial to nice tableware and would love to get a set or two in addition to the china I already have. Being a hard-core thrift shopper with champagne tastes, I scout Craigslist, garage and estate sales for upscale stuff. TJMaxx is also on my list of places to go.
The problem is that I am not familiar with common brands here and can't gauge the quality of china from Craigslist photos. The upscale brands marketed in my home country are mostly European imports like Rosenthal or Villeroy & Boch.
Lots of Noritake, Mikasa, Royal Worcester, Spode and Lenox on CL here. Some vintage mid-century china dinner sets that look attractive in pictures, but, again, I don't know the brands/manufacturers. I saw a few vintage Bavarian porcelain sets but they weren't my style, unfortunately.
Another issue is that the supposedly fine china at estate sales or thrift stores often looks faded with transferware decor rubbed off in places. That makes me question the quality of newer pieces.
My family in Moscow have had a few porcelain sets for 40-50 years that still look like new. Of course they have been used only on special occasions, perhaps a dozen times a year.
My DH and I are regularly invited to holiday dinners at my BIL's place. Their table style is Pier 1 Imports or World Market, which is not my thing. It does go well with the overall style of BIL's home.
I saw Spode at some people's places and looked at Xmas dishes by Spode at TJMaxx. The transferware was a little crude compared to the Rosenthal pieces I brought from my home country.
A few pictures from online sources below to give you a better idea of my preferences:
- I got exactly the same 12-person Mikasa Classic Flair Gray dinner & tea set for $45 at a garage sale a few years ago. It was brand new in a box. Now it's our everyday dinner set.
- My mother is giving me a cobalt tea service like the one in the picture. Made in Russia in the 60's. I love it! Ideally, I'd like to get a set of dinner dishes to go with it, like the ones from Rosenthal or Villeroy & Boch.
- I inherited exactly the same Tono China set made in Japan from my late great-aunt in Moscow. She bought it when she worked on Sakhalin Island in the 50's. It comes out for some holiday meals. Hand wash only, but it still looks like new.
Comments (16)
Fun2BHere
9 years ago
cat_mom
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Comments (46)I have so enjoyed reading all of this, even though, I, as usual, didn't notice it was old. I am old now too! I have never had or wanted that super expensive China, sterling, etc. Not my type. But years ago I fell in love with Depression Glass and antique furniture. My spare time was mostly spent at local public auctions. Most all the furniture in our home was bought at those auctions. When I moved to the Independent Retirement Community, years after my DH's death, I had to have an auction. Now I'm still using many of those auction pieces that I bought, after giving my DD her grandmother's bed, and 2 large pieces that my DGD wanted and I no longer had room for. *Note to nanny 98* Me, too. I have my will written so that each of my 3 grands will receive a same amount, but each the same percentage, of cash $$, that is left at that point. My DD and I have decided that what ever is still in the house will be picked up by a certain old reliable local estate sale, auction business. They will come, pick up, and even wrap the "dust catchers," glass ware, and other small things, and my kids won't have to worry about that; plus, I won't have to watch those things being carried away from here. That amount will be added to the other above mentioned cash, and divided between my two children. My burial expenses are pre-paid. I've said all that to say this: DON'T PUT OFF WRITING YOUR WILL!!...See MorePlease Educate Me About Paints
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9 years agonini804
9 years agoUser
9 years agoporkandham
9 years agonini804
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9 years agokitchendetective
9 years ago
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
9 years agoFun2BHere
9 years agonini804
9 years agoLeeMiller
9 years agokitchendetective
9 years agolana_roma
9 years agoThank you all for your wonderful advice!
Formerly LanaRoma, I'm lana_roma now. Apparently, my email address was lost during the move, but my old username still remained in their database, although I couldn't get it confirmed even after multiple attempts. I asked the GW/Houzz staff to restore my account but received no help from them. I gave up and got a new account to be able to use GW. Oh well.
The point about looking for hand painted vs decal is a great one. Now I'll make sure to have a magnifying glass with me when looking at china.
Made a list of brands that you suggested and Googled them. Mottahedeh looks fabulous and very high end. V&B Anmut is such a sophisticated choice! Royal Doulton looks lush and Victorian - wish I had a Queen Anne house to go with it. :-) Spode Stafford is lovely. Lenox, Limoges, Pickard, Wedgwood and Bernardaud are on my list too.There's a lot of Noritake and Mikasa china on CL, but my understanding now is that those are pretty much mid-range brands.
I'm confused about Haviland. There are Haviland sets for sale on CL, but some ads say that not all the items in the ad are Haviland, although they all have the same design. For example, this set is lovely:
The ad Haviland Set on CL says that some pieces are "Haviland France, some are marked Z.S., & Co. Bavaria, and one is marked Japan", although the pattern is identical. Am I right to doubt whether it's a quality set?I'm a little confused about bone china too. I have two cup and saucer sets of hand painted bone china made in St. Petersburg, Russia. The china is very thin, translucent and with fine detailing. I also have a cup and saucer set marked as bone china and made in England. It's a nice set, but not as fine as the Russian sets. Thicker, a bit clumsier in shape and doesn't look so refined.
Funny, when I browsed the local CL today, there were two Mikasa Classic Flair sets for sale. I like my Classic Flair set because I'm partial to Art Nouveau styling, although it's definitely not everyone's thing.
Tureens - I use my Noritake Belle Rose tureen to microwave rice pilaf that comes in boxes. Works great! But it's marked as Cook'n Serve.
Also, is there a high demand for fine china overall? Some CL sellers ask such high prices for used china. Like $1500 for a Royal Worcester Evesham Gold set: Evesham on CL . This baffles me. I have an Evesham Gold serving dish ( a gift) and it isn't really that high end to me. It's pretty, but not more.
kitchendetective