I don't think a brand will help as much as material. Bone china is very durable and beautiful. I have a couple of patterns that have been around since late 18th/early 19th century, and they look great.

Wedgewood
Villeroy and Boch
Lenox
Noritake

to name a few! I think Sur la Table and Williams Sonoma have some, too.

I agree that bone china is the choice of material for fine china! My discontinued Syracuse china is still here after 40 some years and the Lennox bone china we have at my office still looks beautiful after my 18 years on the job and I don't think a single piece has been broken, even with sometimes careless handling by catering staff.

A plain pattern with only a platinum or gold band is very versatile and goes well with lots of linen choices. But if you find a very decorative pattern that speaks to you and your home decor then you should go for it. I'm particular about coffee/tea cups - I like the taller, deeper cups as they hold the heat better than a short, squatty, shallow cup.

If you visit a high end gourmet shop or jewelry shop that carries fine china, crystal, and silver you can get help with choosing the right style for your home and dining uses. I'd go there to learn even if you end up buying online.

Teresa

There is no "best," only what one likes. While the body material can affect price and durability so can the decoration. A pattern like Flora Danica from Royal Copenhagen, is one of the oldest and most elaborate with gold hand painted. That makes it $$$$$ though some may not find it to their taste.

I've had extremely good luck with Gien a French brand of china I ordered 25 years ago. It was a custom pattern, now discontinued, and $$$$. But the durability has been superb, they are dishwasher safe and survive the microwave as well. I would not hesitate to buy then again and would recommend them highly if one of their patterns is to your taste. I believe only 2 or 3 dinner plates have broken in all these years.

My "best" china for 30 years was a Limoges pattern. I had service for 12 but one dinner plate broke. I was able to pick one up on ebay before I passed the set to DD2. She got several sets of china over the past 2 years as I'm paring down.

Also,Crate & Barrel has many affordable china collections at accessible prices if you're after something more modern vs traditional. I just gave a full creamware service for 12 to DD2 (0 breakage in 10 years). They also have sales.

A lot depends on budget. My only recommendation before buying any china is to see multiple dinner plates on a table. They tend to show one dinner plate but the effect can be very different when it's multiplied, depending, of course, on the pattern. It's particularly true of dark or dense patterns on plates or rims.

Another strategy is to pick up vintage china at an auction. By far that will give the most bang for the buck though full sets for 12 tend to command a premium and it's catch as catch can finding a pattern you like. I see Limoges and American brands at local auctions all the time.

I bought a ton of dishes from a little-known Swedish brand at an auction after I fell in love with the pattern. There were over 100 pieces, including serveware, and even with shipping it came to Home Good prices per piece. DD2 has those as well because there were 49 dinner plates and I no longer give large parties.

But again, these are quirky choices and the prices can be all over the lot. Pre-auction research is needed before hand to see what the pattern would cost elsewhere and not everyone wants to go that route. But if you do, and get lucky with a slow auction you can get a huge bargain.

This post was edited by rococogurl on Sat, Sep 13, 14 at 12:08

First of all, let me say that I am wowed by how much you folks know about dinnerware, and thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge with me. As someone who knows next to nothing on this topic, I've learned a LOT in the past 24 hours - I certainly would never have imagined that a single dinner plate could cost over $2000!

That said, what caused me to start this thread is a clearance sale I stumbled across on Friday on Lenox Federal Platinum dinnerware at a local department store - 5pc place settings are going for $39.99. I rather liked the design at a glance and thought about snapping it up, but I ultimately decided to hold myself back and consult with the experts first since I know nothing about dinnerware. That said, what do you folks think of this series, and is it worth $40 a place setting?

Scpalmetto, thanks for the bone china info. Will be sticking with fine or porcelain. :-)

The price is good---looks as if full price is around $140, and most places have it on sale for around $75, so $40 is not a bad price.

It's a fairly simple pattern, so it will go with a variety of linens and table decorations.

It does have metal trim, so you can't put it in the microwave. It is dishwasher safe.

So, if you like the pattern and the set works for your lifestyle, go ahead and buy it.

Isn't china fascinating? No matter how much anyone knows there is always more to know.

Lenox Federal is a pretty pattern and looks like a good buy. Here's a link to the Lenox website pricing for reference.

These days I always do a search on eBay as a reference.
Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Lenox

Just be aware that Lenox does make metal trimmed china that can microwave. Not all patterns, but some. Our everyday china is a mishmash of their British Colonial patterns which have gold rims of some sort of metal. We slam it around pretty haphazardly and stick it in the micro and dishwasher with impunity. But many of that pattern's pieces have been done away with.

Another Lenox advantage is the replacement guarantee program. Once you have purchased your Lenox pattern, you may replace broken pieces at the 50% off the current price by telephoning Lenox directly. In general, I find that I usually get the best prices directly from Lenox. You can sign up for their email list and hit the sales.

That Lennox Federal is exactly like the china we have at my office, except our pattern is ecru with black trim instead of platinum. I love the shape of those coffee cups. You could not go wrong with this china!

Check the color of the white against other white china to see how close it comes. You could get white serving platters and bowls in another less expensive pattern if you liked the way the china and serving pieces look together. Plain white pottery, porcelain, etc. platters and bowls are always in style and set a nice buffet.

Teresa

I used to sell Lenox and other china. Lenox's quality control was lacking, so open every box and select your pieces. I thought British china was the best.

I have to say in all honesty that ITA with may_flowers on the quality issue. I have had to send at least 3 pieces of Lenox back (over a ten year period, mind you) due to flaws of one sort or another. But they do take it back cheerfully. Our good china is British, Aynsley, but an old, old pattern that is the devil to replace. We have 22 place settings, and never use it. Sad.

may_flowers and MizLizzie, would you mind sharing the kinds of quality issues you've seen/experienced? I'll be going back to the store either tomorrow or Tuesday, so it'd be good to know what to look out for in advance so I don't feel totally awkward standing in the store for an hour or more opening and slowly examining the merchandise while people are staring...

They had at least a hundred sets there when I went on Friday, so I'm sure I'll be able to get what I need :)

As best I recall, my issues were all in the painted pattern. Crooked, or a line drawn too thick. I think only one piece had a funny looking place in the porcelain itself. And I bought a huge amount of it in four different lots over a ten year span.

Just check that the rings on that pattern are drawn straight and true, and consistent from piece to piece. Hold the pieces to the light if you're really concerned and look for inconsistencies in the whiteness. You will be fine. That's a great price. The 3 patterns on the British Colonial suite were design intense -- a gaudy, casual fun pattern with lots of opportunity to flub up in the painting. A classical set such as what you're getting has less room for error.

My experience was the same as Lizzie's.

When buying any line of fine china, it's a good idea to examine each piece for glazing or decal blips. I worked in a fine china and crystal store years ago and it was common for there to be slight (and sometimes big) imperfections in even the most expensive lines, that had slipped through their quality control. Some are so small that they won't bother you, others will. That's the downside of buying online.

just a thought, you could Google lenox and see if there are any clearance/outlet stores near you...

we shop there when needed and they have fantastic deals....

we bought my niece's pattern there and they were "seconds" and looked fantastic...and they email/mail you coupons, they more u buy the more % u save.....so try to get on their email/mail list if this works for you....

we are near one of their big clearance stores, so we made out great....

English fine, bone china is the best. I like Aynsley, Spode, Wedgwood, Royal Crown Derby, Anna Weatherley

This is Lennox Cretan. It was my mothers wedding china so it is fifty - almost sixty years old. Looks new, which is a good thing as I believe this pattern has been discontinued. I love these pieces, but they are not practical plates.

Your question is analogous to asking us to identify the best brand of automobile. It depends on what you like and what you need. After your company has gone home will you be doing the dishes? If these were your plates you'd be doing them by hand. Fifty years ago your housekeeper would be doing them by hand...

So many thousands of choices: go on Replacements.com and you can't possibly get to the end of it. Your taste makes the difference--I like many of the Limoges manufacturers, and I own Richard Ginori and Haviland--always liked the designs. I don't believe any of them are superior to each other--Meissen, Herend, Spode, Limoges, Ginori, and on and on...--all great porcelain and different designs.

I'd love some insight: I own a set of Hutchenreuther dinnerware, 101 pieces (service for 12 + serving dishes) from the 30's and it's a custom made, one-off pattern. It's platinum and is exquisite. Since this is a one-off pattern, I'm having a hard time getting a valuation on it and, on the fun side of finding it's history, I'd love to find out who commissioned it back then in Chicago. Any collectors out there that can help? Any guidance is appreciated.

There is a separate forum under the Home Forums section called either Collectibles or Antiques & Collectibles. I forget which. You'll probably get more responses there.

Thanks, funkycamper I'll try it. It's so out of my wheelhouse and rococogurl and mizlizzie on this thread seemed really knowledgeable.

Oh, furryproducer, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if there are experts here in the Kitchens forum, too. But it doesn't hurt to x-post. Good luck finding your answer.

I would like to interject here…one aspect of buying a good set is the feel of the cup in your hand. Some tea or coffee designs can be very beautiful but feel awkward in your hand. Some are beautifully balanced. if a cup is not comfortable to use, you will not use it ( and by extension, the set) on a daily basis. Ergonomics are an important part of esthetics.