What is your fine china pattern?

[elvisfan]

The inlaws have asked me what I might like for Christmas and I am thinking of starting a fine china collection. What is your pattern? If possible,post a pic:)

[cmyk]

CHINA: Lenox Urban Lights

http://www.lenox.com/pg/index.cfm?fuseaction=dsp_prod_view&pid=7095&format=2&kf=1&i1=0&i2=0&i3=0&i4=0

CRYSTAL: Lenox Firelight Gold

http://www.lenox.com/pg/index.cfm?fuseaction=dsp_prod_view&pid=1731&format=2&kf=1&i1=0&i2=0&i3=0&i4=0


To be honest, though, I only use the champagne flutes! And I think I've only use the place settings once or twice.

--Shelley

[August Mom]

We have Imperial Lapis by Mikasa. http://images.replacements.com/images/images2/china/M/P0000059941S0001T2.jpg However, in trying to find a pic for you, I think I've learned that this may be a discontinued pattern. It's not shown on Mikasa's site at all. It's very pretty - mingled shades of blue and gold trim with a delicate pattern. DH and I agreed on it immediately (even before we were engaged. :))

Before you start your collection, I'd think about how you would use fine china. Ours seldom gets used. I generally take it out on holidays or for our anniversary and that's it. I have way too much china for the amount of time that I use it. If I did it over again, I think I would have gone for nicer casual china. Or, perhaps holiday china. Just something to think about.

Edited to add crystal pattern if you're interested: Carleton Gold by Waterford. http://www.waterford.com/shop/collection.asp?id=56&cat=W

[elvisfan]

OMG-Years ago when I worked in the bridal dept. at macy's I lusted after this pattern(Imperial Lapis) and planned on registering for it when my big day came. Well, when it finally did, the pattern had been discontinued and I opted to register for regular dinnerware....

[August Mom]

How funny. :) It really is a beautiful pattern. What was Mikasa thinking discontinuing it....

[Dcclerk]

I second the suggestion for the Christmas china. When I got married, I was so gung-ho for the china, crystal and sterling silver (though DH did put an end to $4000 worth of utensils that can't be put in the dishwasher). I got the china and crystal and tragically, they have continued to reside in their pretty containers for the last 7, yes 7!, years. I have not used them once. I can't link the darn things for you because I don't even remember what they look like!

I promise you that I would use them if I had a china cabinet that I could keep them displayed in all the time and they were readily accessible. So if you have that, then I think it would work better.

But personlly, if I could do it again, I would get great Christmas dishes that I could use every day during the holidays. Then at least I would know that I would use them 1/12 of the year.

[SeekerMage]

I dont have any fine china...though I want some desperatly! I love a good dinner party even if its only with my parents...and what a better time then to set a pretty table? Whats the point of having it if it doesnt get used? Make any occasion a special occasion is my idea!

What I would love to get is a pretty white or cream colored china with either gold or silver trim...or even no trim at all but a white on white pattern. Simple and elegant and will go with any theme from thanksgiving to christmas! I love setting a table with different linens and flowers etc and this type of china allows for it!

What a great christmas idea! Im jealous....please let us know what you decide!

[barbarhow]

I love my china. I was disappointed that we didn't get more of it for wedding gifts. My goal is to have 18 full place settings and then have a dozen extra dinner plates. I know call me crazy.....
We have Wedgewood Palatia which has a thin band of blue and small gold design on a white plate. It is one of their classic designs and not likely to be discontinued which is nice.
http://www.michaelcfina.com/cgi-bin/mcfina.cgi/process?mv_session_id=DrMDVUfu&mv_pc=1&mv_nextpage=pat_detail&mv_doit=return&CLASS_CODE=CH&VENDOR_CODE=WEDG&PATTERN_CODE=PALA&LABEL=China&FNAME=ftable&MANUFACTURER=Pattern%20Search&HEADING=pattsearch3%2egif&HEIGHT=28&WIDTH=174
MIL has been awesome and gives me a place setting for Christmas and Birthday. Everyone else thinks I am nuts but I, too, love to entertain and think their is nothing more elegant on my table in the "backwoods" of Maine then Wedgewood china and Orrefors crystal. So what if we have a bear in the backyard.....
Checkout Michael C. Fina for great prices on place settings. Myine is currently $99.00 for a six piece place setting. Anyone who needs replacement pieces or needs to fill out a discontinued pattern should go to Replacements.com. They frequently have good sales.
Enjoy!
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03

[newbelly2002]

We opted for "everyday china." This way we use it for dinner parties, for Sunday dinners, holidays, etc. It's special, but not so special that we are afraid to use it. We looked at all of the patterns but could find nothing that suited us. Finally, we stumbled on the crate and barrel "stoneware." We got the black ("nuit"). I really love the pottery look.

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/itemgroups/6503_0.asp

And the silverware to go with it creates quite the effect, if you are into a less traditional look. IPerhaps it's been dicontinued, but it was a dark matte metal with a hammered surface, similar but not identical, to this.

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/itemgroups/10740_0.asp

Of course, all of this is in storage. And we are left with the mismatched sets that came with this apartment. Sigh. Sometimes I miss my things...
Paula
Mama to Dante, 8/1/02

[LD92599]

This is more in the lines of casual china, but we have Lenox Poppies on Blue. We also have 8 large dinner plates from the Disney Store w/ Sketches of Disney Characters on it.


Laura
mom to William
3.5.2003

[bonbon98]

I have china from Noritake in the Lockleigh pattern:

http://chinaware.noritakechina.com/shoppingCart/noritakechina/Catalog.asp?category=Formal&family=WhitePorcelain&product=15

I also have a few of the holiday accent plates:

http://chinaware.noritakechina.com/shoppingCart/noritakechina/Catalog.asp?category=Holiday&family=Holiday&product=3827

I only use my china at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Most of the time I use my Pfaltzgraff set (Ocean Breeze) since I have more serving dishes to coordinate.


Bonny

Mom to Evan & Emma 5/7/02

[MartiesMom2B]

We have Royal Treasure by Lenox. I love my china and I should use it more often. In 3 years of marriage it's been used twice, but I do plan on entertaining more often later. I love dinner parties! Hopefully this picture will work!

Edited to add details:
The rim is cobalt blue with gold edging.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[DDowning]

We have the solitaire pattern from Lenox. Its a classic pattern and pieces are easily found and mixes well with patterns in that color set. The gold version is called Eternal.

[lukkykatt]

I have Wedgewood Watercolour, which I just learned has been discontinued (thanks, because now I need to see if I want anything else before it is too late!). You can see it here though to get an idea: http://images.replacements.com/images/images2/china/W/P0000114652S0002T2.jpg

It is casual china, which I highly recommend. We use it everyday, and it still looks brand new, even after being washed in the dishwasher for almost 7 years. That is the beauty of casual china - ours can go in the freezer, microwave, oven and the dishwasher. So we use and enjoy it all the time!

When we registered, the salesman recommended Wedgewood or Villeroy and Boch for casual china - something about the way they are made make them more durable (according to him - maybe someone here knows more about this?). But I have to say, ours have held up great.

Christmas china is also a great idea, though...I would love to have a set!

[khakismom]

We have Darjeeling by Royal Doulton. Love it! Have fun--there are so many beautiful patterns out there! :)

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/974.jpg

[parkersmama]

Our fine china is Royal Lapis by Wedgwood. I love it but we only have 2 placesettings in it because it is so expensive.



http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/975.jpg


We have Wedgwood Strawberry & Vine for our everyday china and it has been terrific! It's a step above stoneware and the all-white design goes with everything. For Christmas china, we chose a fairly casual pattern from Lenox called Sleighride. It's fun and casual and we use it everyday starting at Thanksgiving and going until New Years.

[heidi_timms]

We have Lenox Federal Platinum. It's pretty simple-white with a platinum band all the way around. I try and use mine for special dinners and bridal showers. DH always worries about me breaking it because I have hauled the teacups over a friend's house for a "tea party" shower. Hey I want the china to get used:)

http://www.lenox.com/pg/index.cfm?fuseaction=dsp_prod_view&pid=5079&format=2&kf=5&i1=2&i2=1&i3=0&i4=0

A great place to buy China is Ross-Simons. Their prices are always way cheaper than Macy's!

http://www.ross-simons.com/


~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03

[justlearning]

We didn't register for china because my mom gave me all of hers in the Noritake Rosay pattern when we got married. Sadly, she never has owned a china cabinet so her china had been in boxes up in the attic and had rarely been used. Her china is beautiful, in my opinion, and may actually work for a previous poster (can't remember who--I just read through the whole thread) who was wanting a simple pattern on white china. The pattern's been discontinued but you can always find it on ebay. Here's a current auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2663866147&category=94#ebayphotohosting

I would agree with other posters, though, about considering getting a Christmas china set. In an after-Christmas special, I bought a complete new set of beautiful Christmas china for 8 including serving pieces for just $25! In the last 3 years (and I do have a china cabinet), I have used my mom's china about 3 times but have used my Christmas china probably more than 6 times. It all depends on how you entertain, of course, but I have found that we usually entertain in a more casual way with friends throughout the year and the fine china seems too formal. During the Christmas season, however, we want to set a more elegant table while hosting Christmas parties and we always get lots of compliments on the Christmas china. Just a thought...

[nigele]

Maureen,

We have Darjeeling, too! I think it is absolutely gorgeous and smile every time I look at it. My DH is British and we get a couple of pieces each time we visit his family in England.

:-)

[etwahl]

you probably already know this, but if you order through the military, it is substantially cheaper. i don't know how much selection, but certainly looking into it!

i don't have china, but i like the idea of christmas dishes myself!

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[egoldber]

We don't have "fine" china, its what I consider to be everyday china. But it is called Olympia Black from Mikasa. Its been discontinued for several years. In fact it was discontinued when we got married, which is why we got it! We got a full set of 12 place settings at the Mikasa Outlet for a song! I use it every day for every meal.

But I LOVE it! I tried to find a pic and can't. Its plain porcelain white with a simple black border. Its casual enough to use everyday, but with crystal and fancy linens it looks very elegant. And I can use really anything with it, since it is so simple.

Personally, I just can't imagine trying to find the storage space for dishes I use only a handful of times a year.

[C99]

Bernardaud's Madison Platinum. I love it!
[img src="http://a964.g.akamaitech.net/7/964/806/c2fa0bf156dd7a/images.theknot.com/registryimages/FT323428wl.jpg"]

My "everyday" ware is Crate & Barrel's Staccato pattern. Since it is porcelain, it dresses up well too, and it's much more affordable to add to it. Though I do love my china pattern and use it whenever I can.

[img src="http://crateandbarrel.com/images/itemgroup/Dinnerware/StaccatoRepresentative_zm.jpg"]

[jojo2324]

We don't have any fine china, but I would love to get some...Eventually, I think the festivities are going to move to our house (at least with my mom and her husband), so I would like something dressier for the table.

I've been eyeing this pattern from Martha Stewart for *years*. It's made by Wedgewood, called Winterberries. It probably isn't the most practical, but I think it would work for special occasions as well as the holidays. For the holidays I would just use deeper colors for linens, and maybe green glasses.

http://a444.g.akamai.net/7/444/703/20010913172058/www.marthastewart.com/images/products/mbm/cooking_entertaining/1001_winter5pp_a_l.jpg

[Marisa6826]

Not that I have a lot of it (two settings to be exact), but the one that I have and LOVE is Mottahedeh's Chi'ing Garden. One day, I tell myself, I will have the full service!!

Here's a picture

http://www.porcelaingalleryinc.com/pages/dinnerware/mottahedeh/mottahedeh_ching_garden.html
-m

[klwa]

We have Noritake Ontario. I wanted flowers, he wanted plain, so we compromised. :)

http://chinaware.noritakechina.com/shoppingCart/noritakechina/Catalog.asp?category=Formal&family=WhitePorcelain&product=9

[barbarhow]

We use Villeroy and Boch Allegretto as our every day china. It is very durable-and I love it. Plain white with a ridged edge. Unfortunately it has been discontinued and I have had trouble expanding my collection.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03

[bluej]

Fine china? What fine china? Actually we picked up loads of this porcelain in the Czech Republic. If you think it's cheap at the site, you'd be shocked at how pathetically cheap it was in the CR! I love it though. We don't really ever use it. It sits on display in a cabinet in the living room. I have white porcelain dishes, tea cups, tea pots, etc throughout the house so it provides more decor value for us than entertainment value (although it does entertain me to look at it :D ) If I ever start hosting holiday dinners though I really want Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas themed salad plates to 'dress it up' and I think that would work well w/ the the simple whiteness of it.

http://www.crystalporcelain.com/details_nonreg.asp?ProdSKU=DCBEWH

[elvisfan]

>you probably already know this, but if you order through the
>military, it is substantially cheaper. i don't know how much
>selection, but certainly looking into it!
>
>i don't have china, but i like the idea of christmas dishes
>myself!
>
>Tammy,
>Mom to Lauren Genevieve
>03/12/2003
>www.evantammy.com
Tammy, if you go to aafes.com, that site has a good selection. Noritake's Stoneleigh pattern is priced quite well....I might end up asking for that china. There are also Christmas themed dishes there.

[em_jon98]

Our fine china is Lenox Royal Scroll (it also comes in the ivory colored china, I think the pattern name is Liberty):
http://www.lenox.com/pattern/index.cfm?fuseaction=main_pattern&id=321&i1=2&i2=8&i3=0&i4=0&kf=55
With it, we use Gorham Golden Melon Bud flatware and Waterford Overture stemware.

Our everyday pattern is a discontinued casual china pattern, Pfaltzgraff Forest. We love it and it has worn very well.

We also have the Reindeer desert/salad plates from Pottery Barn and a set of plain white, platinum trimmed dinner plates to match.

I would have to respectfully disagree with most of the others and say to go for the china, if you have the storage space. I love to get ours out for special meals, even if it is just a special meal for the two of us. Plus, I love that I have something to pass on to my children, as well as for them to remember at special meals and events.

[sweetbasil]

>Our fine china is Lenox Royal Scroll (it also comes in the
>ivory colored china, I think the pattern name is Liberty):

We have Lenox Liberty :) http://www.lenox.com/pg/index.cfm?fuseaction=act_search&endeca=1

I love that it has accent pieces, too. I think when we registered, we were told that Lenox's Presidential Collections will not be discontinued, as a rule, and Liberty is on that list. We have almost every piece that goes with it, as my sweet grandmother has lived near a Lenox outlet through our entire marriage, and gets us great pieces for most every holiday. Now there's an outlet near us, too, so we'll be sure to finish it up soon!

Have fun china shopping,

[luvmypeanut]

We have the Tiffany Platinum Band made by Limoges. It looks stunning with silver chargers. We use it quite a bit because it is such a waste to have it sitting in a closet waiting to be taken out.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/982.jpg

[cuca_]

We have Bernardaud's Constance and I try to use it as much as I can. I'm attempting to attach a link to a picture. Hope it works.

http://www.tavolino.ch/pages/bernardaud/bernardaud_constance.htm

[wdland45]

We have Royal Dalton's Josephine. We couldn't agree - he wanted to register for a flowerey pattern and I wanted simple lines. We chose this as a compromise. Some dishes are very simple and some have flowers. I have tried to attach a photo, but if it doesn't work, here is a link..

http://www.kitchenetc.com/Products.cfm?sku=000717298

Enjoy investigating China Patterns. It's like being a newleywed all over again. How fun!

Danielle, Mom to Alex, 12.03.01 and Brian, 7.27.03

[MelissaTC]

We chose Antique Lace by Mikasa. It is discontinued now.

We only received one place setting at our wedding. For our first Christmas, DH surprised me with 9 more place settings and the additional pieces (platters, etc... I was shocked and very happy. It was one of the sweetest things he has ever done. :)

[lizajane]

signet platinum by wedgewood. white with silver edge. love it. very plain, goes with everything. we use it all the time. everytime i have dinner guests in the winter (spring/summer/fall we cookout and eat outside!) if you have it, use it!

[MamaKath]

Noritake Sweet Leilani
http://chinaware.noritakechina.com/shoppingCart/noritakechina/Catalog.asp?category=Formal&family=WhitePorcelain&product=7
It matches very well with our sliverwear because of the Silver accents. However we have only used it once! I am married 6.5 years too!

We just upgraded our everyday dishes to something that could be everyday or good stuff.
https://www.goldmanstreasures.com/goldmans_1.0.004/store/index.php?section=view_product_details&session=zCNWPzF6UBEEWTiJ3IYshWmp9gREgQPT&pid=58&catid=78
It is lovely, and Goldman's is a pleasure to deal with in person or for web orders! I would order from them again in a second. The whole American Atelier selection is beautiful!!! Very charming patterns and lovely appearances.

HTH

[smilequeen]

We have Lenox Coronet Platinum http://www.lenox.com/images/pg/product_images/6111447_w2.jpg

and Christmas dishes, which I also always wanted :) which is Lenox Holiday
http://www.lenox.com/images/pg/product_images/072733_w2.jpg

We don't use ours that often, but we do like to make romantic dinners for ourselves, candlelight, the fine china, the sterling silver, the crystal, etc. Mostly it looks pretty in the china cabinet, but I'm glad to have it.

[Piglet]

Noritake Alsatia. We also couldn't agree on the flower/plain, but this one has the tiniest flowers we could find. Also, I really like the cup shape. Our friends liked this one so much they registered for it as well...

http://chinaware.noritakechina.com/shoppingCart/noritakechina/Catalog.asp?category=Formal&family=WhiteBone&product=46

[sntm]

couldn't resist posting!

I love our china. We are huge foodies and I love pulling out these plates. DH even built some cabinets to show them off. My mom completed our wedding registry last year, so we now have enough for 6 place settings. We use them for holidays, also.

China: Wedgwood India (even DH liked this one and it isn't too plain, been around for decades so unlikely to be discontinued)

http://www.ross-simons.com/perl/rssh0001.cgi?EDIT_UID=2003102012110430&EDIT_FAMILY=WWCIIA&EDIT_SORT_ORDER=PRICE_ASC&EDIT_OVERRIDE_ITEM_LIMIT=YES&EDIT_LISTING_HTML=rssh0001_family00.html&EDIT_ITEM_HTML=rssh0001_FAM_item00&EDIT_MAX_ITEMS=400&EDIT_COLUMNS=1&EDIT_BORDER=0&EDIT_PT008=P4

Silver: Gorham Strasbourg

http://www.ross-simons.com/perl/rssh0001.cgi?EDIT_UID=2003102012110430&EDIT_FAMILY=GOFSTR&EDIT_SORT_ORDER=PRICE_ASC&EDIT_OVERRIDE_ITEM_LIMIT=YES&EDIT_LISTING_HTML=rssh0001_family00.html&EDIT_ITEM_HTML=rssh0001_FAM_item00&EDIT_MAX_ITEMS=400&EDIT_COLUMNS=1&EDIT_BORDER=0&EDIT_PT008=P4

Crystal: Waterford Lucerne (Waterford guarantees that they will never discontinue a pattern)

http://www.ross-simons.com/perl/rssh0001.cgi?EDIT_UID=2003102012110430&EDIT_FAMILY=WTXLUC&EDIT_SORT_ORDER=PRICE_ASC&EDIT_OVERRIDE_ITEM_LIMIT=YES&EDIT_LISTING_HTML=rssh0001_family00.html&EDIT_ITEM_HTML=rssh0001_FAM_item00&EDIT_MAX_ITEMS=400&EDIT_COLUMNS=1&EDIT_BORDER=0&EDIT_PT008=P4

[amp]

Wow...you guys are all so very fancy! I can't even pronounce some of these names! We do not own china at all. We have 2 sets of everyday plates that get used. John had some cheap ugly plates we still use, and I had Pfaltzgraff Northwinds (which just got discontinued), which we also use everyday or especially if we have company. Fine china, it ain't!

[Jen841]

We have the same Lenox pattern with no regrets. Friends have it too, so we can shuttle it back and forth when someone needs more than what they have. We have 12.

I love that I can use any "fun" silver, pewter, or white accent pieces with it.

This is inspiring me to get it out soon for a romantic dinner for DH and I! Have not done that since DS was born.

We used our china the first time with pizza. Anything tastes and looks better on china.

[bunnisa]

This is a fun topic!!

We were fortunate enough to inherit TWO sets of china (one platinum banded, one gold banded), and I love them both!

The first is Lenox Montclair: http://www.placesettings.com/lenox_montclair.htm

Montclair is very similar to my Mother's china -- Lenox Solitare:
http://wedding9.weddingchannel.com/catalog/product.asp?gcID=365100&navTier=1,3,10001,1000006,10000021

The second is Royal Doulton Royal Gold:
http://www.smallislandtrader.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/royal_doulton/roygold/splash.htm?E+trader2

Have fun, and let us know what you decide!


Bethany
It's a Boy!
William Eric (Wilkes)
6/16/03

[alkagift]

No one else mentioned this, so I thought I would. I inherited mine (not super fancy, but my grandmothers, so I love it). However, because it was old a couple of pieces got broken and I discovered ONE FABULOUS place to get more--Replacements Limited! They have an online catalog as well as a showroom to die for right outside Greensboro North Carolina. They almost literally have a piece of every pattern made--it's so unbelievably neato. www.replacements.com

I don't know about online, but in the showroom you could get entire sets for really cheap--one of a kind things, or styles that are not popular but still beautiful. My pattern is what you see here (Noritake Mystery #44).

Allison
Mom to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[Karenn]

Mine's inherited too. It's Adderly Chelsea. I love Replacements Limited too. My other favorite thing is scouring antique stores for pieces of my china and silver (which is also antique.) One of the great things about Replacements Limited was that people were able to order our silver and china patterns from them as wedding gifts. I honestly wasn't expecting any piece of those sets since they're so hard to find, but I actually got a couple.

[Melanie]

http://www.lenox.com/images/pg/product_images/095469_w2.jpg

Lenox Federal Platinum

[lukkykatt]

I had to say that I just had so much fun looking at everyone's china! I feel like I learned as much about everyone from just this one post as I have from a bunch of the others put togehter! Great post.

[JustMare]

I have Federal Platinum too!! We love it!

Our crystal is Lenox Madison Platinum.

Our flatware is Federal Platinum.

[elvisfan]

Well, I decided....
www.kitchenetc.com/Products.cfm?sku=000713305

[nohomama]

I've been loosely following this post and thought I'd mention something for those of you with discontinued patterns. Forgive me if this has already been mentioned. As I said I've *loosely* been following this thread.

I have my grandmother's china, Deauville by Community China, which was discontinued long ago. I've been able to add to my set and replace damaged pieces though by buying through Replacements, Ltd. (http://www.replacements.com). I'm certain there must be other "brokers" for discontinued patterns but this company is big and it's the only place I found that had pieces of my pattern available.

[bonbon98]

I love your pattern!! Of course, I'm pretty impartial to it since I have the gold rimmmed version!!

What an awesome gift from the in-laws!

Enjoy!!

Bonny
Mom to Evan & Emma 5/7/02

[heva]

OK, I can't resist posting, even though our pattern (Tosca by Lenox) is now discontinued (boo!). Luckily, my mom heard it was going to be discontinued and bought a slew of things through special order through the military PX.
http://images.replacements.com/images/images2/china/L/P0000050213S0001T2.jpg