How often do you use your fine china?

[Aloros]

Just curious. I have one set of china I inherited from my dad''s side of the family. It''s over 100 years old and hand painted. I''m scared to touch it! It''s in a box in our closet. I''m even afraid to touch the box. I''d love to display it, but we haven''t bought a hutch for our dining room yet, and I don''t trust the display cabinets in our living room.

I have another set from my great aunt - neither of her daughters wanted it. I can''t remember the pattern, but it''s very pretty. Pink roses with a bit of gold enamel. Again, in a box in the closet. I''m still hesitant to acutally use it, and don''t really have an occasion to.

What do you do with your fine china, and how often do you use it?

 

[Laila619]

We''ve been married over a year now and have yet to use it. So not very often, lol.

 

[somethingshiny]

I don''t believe in having things for "good." What better to celebrate than your family?? I have a set of china from a great aunt and a few items from my great grandma. They do not sit in boxes. They are used and loved. I''d rather have used it and broke it than to have never used it at all.

My mom had a cake plate from my great grandma. We used it often because my mom baked all the time. When it eventually broke, no one was upset. We figured granny would have been happy that we got so much use and joy out of it.


Do you only keep your diamonds for good? Your silk sheets? The nice car? That great bra?

Having things that you don''t use is just hoarding, IMO.

 

[rhbgirl24]

I have an unmarked Lenox set that was a test print set. This I use very very sparingly, maybe once every 5 years or so. But the Lenox set we got for our wedding I will use every holiday (already used it for family on Christmas).

 

[upgrade]

I love to use mine! It's older than dirt- I inherited it from a great aunt. I have broken a piece or two, but I would rather lose a couple of pieces and enjoy it than have it sit in a cupboard collecting dust.

My mil has a set that she was given as a wedding gift 40 something years ago. I've been with my dh for 11 years and I've seen the good china twice. She's one of those people who never uses the china or the silver in case it gets broken, never burns the pretty candles because once they're gone, they're gone.

 

[packrat]

We don''t have any. Well, I''ve got stuff from my Gramma that she passed down that is fancy to us, and a set of cool silverware. We had it all packed away and I told JD that was dumb, so we got rid of the old stuff and use Gramma''s. Now we have cool silverware instead of the stuff he had from the Dollar Store. When we have a little more cash, I want to pick out new stuff..I''d love to have matching bowls and plates for once!

 

[elrohwen]

I don't have fine china, so never

We just have one basic set of white dishes that we use every day. I've always been kind of anti-fine china - some day I'd like to get a nicer set of dishes, but I'd still use them every day. I just know I'm waayyy too lazy to ever bother pulling a second set of dishes out, washing them, using them for one night, and putting them away again, so it's a waste of money for me to buy them. I agree with SS that I don't really get the point of having something nice and not using it all the time.

 

[Rachel9]

I don't stand a chance to inherit mother's great china...my oldest sister already claimed them

We got the Mikasa 'antique lace' when we got married, it's beautiful but a pain to clean w/o scratching the gold rim.
Purchased the Noritake 'Magestic Platinum' from costco about 4 years ago, still going strong, use quite often.

 

[junebug17]

I use mine twice a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

[yssie]

Don''t have any yet!


We likely will be gifted some pieces at our wedding, and we plan to use those regularly - no point in hoarding and not admiring pretty things

We do have a couple of bone china teasets that I make good use of.

 

[whitby_2773]

hi aloros

i've collected china/glassware/glass in general/ceramics for quite some time now, so i have a pretty big collection.

i use it a lot as we entertain regularly. i'm in the middle of collecting sarah's garden (now no longer made) by wedgwood, which is stoneware, but delicate, for our 'every day' set. it's lovely and cheery

i have a large collection (well, large by my standards) or antique shelley cups, saucers and plates, and i use them whenever i have anyone over for afternoon tea (about once a month). my dad used to collect for my mom (he was a big, deep chested ex-rugby player and it was a hoot seeing him in the china section of a store, asking about teacupts!), and passed both the itch and her collection on to me. after my mom died, he married a woman whose family used to own a fine china store - and when *he* died...well...let's just say,my home is pretty much awash with china!

perhaps because i grew up with it and am used to it, i use it a lot, tho i have to admit - there's some lovely stuff out there...and some absolutely hideous patterns! i have 6 dinner sets - 3 of them fine bone china, but all 6 very beautiful.

ETA discover the ritual of afternoon tea, and i guarantee you you'll discover a use for fine bone china!

 

[rainwood]

I use my fine china a lot. Whenever we have people over, I use one of the sets I have. I have the Wedgwood I originally got plus a more modern, all white bone china set from Crate & Barrel. China and silver are meant to be used, and it''s fun to dress up the table with different place mats and linens, and centerpieces. Plus I worked in the china department of a department store in high school and college, so it''s kind of in my blood.

I might feel differently about using my china if it were hand-painted heirlooms. Hand-painted means you probably can''t put it in the dishwasher, and that''s a no go for me. I put all of my china in the dishwasher, which is perfectly safe to do, unless it''s really old. You just have to be careful not to use too much dishwashing detergent, and not to handle the china pieces with silver or gold bands while they''re still hot.

 

[whitby_2773]

Date: 1/19/2010 3:19:42 PM
Author: rainwood
I use my fine china a lot. Whenever we have people over, I use one of the sets I have. I have the Wedgwood I originally got plus a more modern, all white bone china set from Crate & Barrel. China and silver are meant to be used, and it''s fun to dress up the table with different place mats and linens, and centerpieces. Plus I worked in the china department of a department store in high school and college, so it''s kind of in my blood.

rainwood - which pattern? i love wedgwood...

 

[princesss]

We don''t have any! I love my daily plates - they''re from Spain, and they''re hand painted and they''re all different colours. Then I''ve got white bowls that have kind of a fun pattern on them, and I''m in the middle of searching for salad plates that coordinate but don''t match my plates. It''s tough. Then I want to find mugs. But then, I''m a little more eclectic in general - the dishes are just one facet of that (that I can''t even take credit for - they were a Christmas gift from BF''s parents!).

 

[Octavia]

We got most of our set for our wedding in October, but have only used it once so far (Thanksgiving). It''s not that I''m necessarily keeping it for special occasions, but we don''t have space for it in our apartment so I have to haul it up from the storage unit and then back down again if I want to use it. I can''t wait to use it more often, but unfortunately it''s not so practical with our current living situation.

 

[movie zombie]

not at all.

my daughter didn''t even know i had it. it goes with me in a box from place to place and that''s it. i''m thinking of selling it.

mz

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I don''t have a set. My dishes are from World Market.

I do have a set of bowls from Mikasa (is that "fine?") that has pretty roses on it with a silver metal color around the rim. We use those. Two broke and my husband refuses to admit he broke them!

We''re now down to four.

 

[jewelerman]

havent used the Wedgwood or the Lenex china since 1998.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Once in 3.5 years. It is beautiful but I guess I don''t have formal dinners very often or love to hand wash dishes.

 

[lyra]

I may be weird in my feelings, but I have my mom''s wedgewood in a box in the basement. I will never use it or display it or sell it. I can''t bear to look at it at all because I miss her so much, and that china was the only nice thing she ever had or wanted in her life.

I think one of my daughters will take it eventually. I do want it to remain in the family.

I have a set of fine dishes that I don''t like anymore (26 years later). We don''t entertain in this house, so it never gets used. I have no feelings about it other than it takes up space in my china cabinet and I move it house to house.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/19/2010 4:57:50 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Once in 3.5 years. It is beautiful but I guess I don''t have formal dinners very often or love to hand wash dishes.

What about using them and just putting them in the dishwasher?

I know that they won''t hold up over time, but isn''t that better than having them collect dust?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/19/2010 4:58:01 PM
Author: lyra
I may be weird in my feelings, but I have my mom''s wedgewood in a box in the basement. I will never use it or display it or sell it. I can''t bear to look at it at all because I miss her so much, and that china was the only nice thing she ever had or wanted in her life.

I think one of my daughters will take it eventually. I do want it to remain in the family.

I have a set of fine dishes that I don''t like anymore (26 years later). We don''t entertain in this house, so it never gets used. I have no feelings about it other than it takes up space in my china cabinet and I move it house to house.

Lyra - re: the dishes you don''t use. Have you checked CL to see what they''re worth? My MIL has a set she never uses and I checked and the pattern is going for $1K. I''m not sure if she is planning to sell it though. . .

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 1/19/2010 5:02:11 PM
Author: MC

Date: 1/19/2010 4:57:50 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Once in 3.5 years. It is beautiful but I guess I don''t have formal dinners very often or love to hand wash dishes.

What about using them and just putting them in the dishwasher?


I know that they won''t hold up over time, but isn''t that better than having them collect dust?

It has a metal rim so I think that is why they aren''t dishwasher safe.

 

[zoebartlett]

We don''t own any, so I''m going with "never."

My parents have a whole set (it might have been given to them by my grandparents, but I''m not sure) that they use occasionally.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/19/2010 5:22:18 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring

Date: 1/19/2010 5:02:11 PM
Author: MC

Date: 1/19/2010 4:57:50 PM

Author: Tacori E-ring

Once in 3.5 years. It is beautiful but I guess I don''t have formal dinners very often or love to hand wash dishes.

What about using them and just putting them in the dishwasher?


I know that they won''t hold up over time, but isn''t that better than having them collect dust?

It has a metal rim so I think that is why they aren''t dishwasher safe.

I stick the metalic rim bowls I have in the d/w. lol You should use them at least once in a while!!!

 

[MustangGal]

I didn''t register for china, since I didn''t really see a point in having something I wouldn''t use much, but my mom gave me her set (that I never saw as child). I''ve used it I think twice in the 6 years I''ve had it. And the silverwear I was given by a family friend I think has been used even less! (I hate polishing it!)

Instead I have nicer everyday flatwear and dishes, that look good enough for just about anything.

 

[sparklyheart]

My everyday dishes are china.. The only pattern I liked in dishes was from Villeroy and Boch and I love them!!

I have 4 place settings of plain white Wedgewood and I mix those in since my other plates are mostly white.

 

[Octavia]

Date: 1/19/2010 5:22:18 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring

Date: 1/19/2010 5:02:11 PM

Author: MC

Date: 1/19/2010 4:57:50 PM


Author: Tacori E-ring


Once in 3.5 years. It is beautiful but I guess I don''t have formal dinners very often or love to hand wash dishes.

What about using them and just putting them in the dishwasher?



I know that they won''t hold up over time, but isn''t that better than having them collect dust?

It has a metal rim so I think that is why they aren''t dishwasher safe.

Check the bottom of a piece, if it''s been purchased fairly recently it should say. My china is Lenox and has a platinum rim, but it''s dishwasher safe. You''re probably right about not putting it into the dishwasher if it''s heirloom china, though.

 

[vespergirl]

Hardly ever. It is a discontinued pattern, and I''m afraid that we''ll break a piece. We only use it for dinner parties and special occasions, so I want to say maybe 6 times a year.

 

[gemgirl]

I''m embarrassed to say that I haven''t used my fine china yet, despite the fact that I love it. Married..... 12 years in a few months. Why don''t I use it? I''m afraid something will happen to it I guess.

That''s so dumb, isn''t it?