@surfcity I like your wedding china Lenox pattern. Like you, I have plain cream colored Lenox dinner plates with a gold rim. I don’t have a “set” of good china…just the dinner plates. Then I have the Lenox Holiday serving pieces, smaller plates, and cups and saucers which we use from just after Thanksgiving thru New Years.
I love that I can mix and match these cream colored plates with so many other things.
An annual outing I loved doing with my husband’s grandmother was a trip to the Lenox factory for their summer sale. There was always something interesting to at least look at…and buy. We have more than several Lenox Christmas ornaments purchased there.
Another Lenox (Eternal) owner here. I still like
it but rarely use it. We also had Mikasa Classic Flair (white with lilies) but many years after our wedding, I gave it to my MIL bc she loved it so much and I never used it. She later gave me her Lenox Autumn china which I love but wonder when I’ll use it. My mom has a couple sets of China and I’ve told her to give it to any niece, etc she wants as I certainly don’t need or want any more. We’ve started using our Waterford crystal whenever we drink wine Bc if not, it would also just sit there unused.
I was poor growing up, but when I got married I’d been living with my SO for something like 5 years, so we didn’t need much. We put China and Chrystal on our wish list (our wedding was too small to warrant a registry).
My now ex MIL got us most of the 3 piece set for 10-12 of Orrefors (she worked at a place where she got a nice discount) and we got some amount of China from various people. Over the years I managed to collect 12 place settings.
Wedgwood Amherst is what I have, but one of my favorites has always been Wedgwood wild strawberries or strawberry fields or something like that.
I would never complain to anyone, but for eating I really don’t like flowery or other patterns under my food. Rim design or something subtle in the middle is fine, but busy dishes kind of bother me. (First world problem, I know).
After people mentioned Lenox Eternal, I remembered that not only is it my mothers China, but that when her aunt died a few years back she inherited 24 more dinner and salad/dessert plates in that pattern. Yes, 24 of each. Great Aunt loved to entertain and it’s a good pattern for a dinner party. So somebody is going to get 36 dinner plates.
I was 23 when I got married in 1980, and not a girly girl. My mother insisted that I register china, silver and crystal, because that is what everyone will want to buy as a wedding gift; I believe she was thinking of those in her circle! To be honest, I might have picked my patterns by those I hated the least Today, I do like my silver and crystal, and think the china is pretty, just not my taste. I think if I were purchasing today, and I have no need or want for it, I would selection something more basic.
A few years ago we ate in a tiny French restaurant, one of those places that seats about 30. They had the most charming collection of mis-matched china plates.
They had a customer who collected 300 or so for her daughter’s wedding reception. She then sold them to the restaurant for a very low price.
The restaurant has charming plates and a big back stock in case of breakage.
Gen X here. Inherited part of my parents’ Johnson Brothers Friendly Village dishes (another relation got part of the collection). Still interested in having more pieces. A pattern that seems to have gone in and out of fashion, and is pretty timeless as far as china patterns go.
Also have vintage French stem wear for champagne. We seem to break wine glasses fairly easily in our home so those are bought more cheaply.
The poster who noted that 25 year-olds have different tastes at 35 is spot-on. Although the trend is for minimalism, it is definitely eco-friendly to use china. Frankly, with the increased closure of stores and varying quality in the manufacturing of new goods, there may be an emergence of growing young families that see the logic of these dishes. There definitely are boho-Anthropologie-vintage afficionados out there.
If your local charities aren’t interested, freecycle the dishes to a buy-nothing group. There is the chance that relatives might want these dishes in a few years as they age into larger family gatherings. But if you can’t store it, you can’t store it.
Formal - Gorham Manhattan. I always hand wash these. I often get irises for the table when using these. They’re great for seders because they have a little plate for gefilte fish and a little bowl for hard boiled egg.
And the casual Mikasa Serenity, which go in the dishwasher. Only drawback is placing them correctly ;):
Who knew this topic could be so interesting! I have 2 sets of “good” china, one my MIL insisted we get, and which I like. Thanks to this thread I did research and know it was made in the 1930’s. Despite research I could not find a single image of the pattern online!
The second set we registered for after an eccentric cousin gave us 4settings. Although we didn’t pick it, we figured it was better to have the full set vs just the 4 settings. Luckily I also like it.
Today, I do like my silver and crystal, and think the china is pretty, just not my taste. I think if I were purchasing today, and I have no need or want for it, I would selection something more basic.
