With all the wonderful choices in dinnerware available to us these days there is no limit to the look and style we can choose for entertaining. And, while a more clean, uncluttered contemporary vibe is going strong there’s still just nothing quite so classic, dainty and girly as good old fashioned bone china. Wonderful, colorful patterns in purples, pinks, reds, yellows – all mix and match pieces that work well within their own set or mixed with each other. Even women who tend to drift away from girly flowers and prefer a more contemporary look in their dishware can appreciate the beauty, quality and integrity of bone china.
I don’t know how many people are familiar with the history of bone china, but it actually starts with a man named Josiah Spode. (You may have heard of Spode china?) Spode was born in 1733 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which is world-renowned for its ceramics and porcelain. When he was just 16 or 17 he apprenticed with Thomas Whieldon, one of the area’s finest potters. From there he worked for other potters and also co-owned factories with other potters until 1767 when he formed the Spode factory on his own. It is the oldest porcelain factory to remain in business at the same site.
Do you know why it’s called china? Porcelain is an ancient ceramic material perfected by the Chinese. It’s commonly called china simply because this is where the material originated. There are three types of porcelain – hard paste, soft paste and bone china. Interestingly bone china is the toughest of porcelains and actually does contain bones. In 1800, Josiah Spode II artfully created bone china by adding bone ash to the formula for porcelain which resulted in the hardest, most durable porcelain available. Bone ash comes from pulverized and burned bones of animals. Hence the name bone china. Cool, huh? Don’t you find that interesting? I know I do. Bone china remains the standard for porcelain manufactured in England.
I’ve been collecting pieces for years.
What’s fun about it, aside from it’s natural beauty, is the ability to mix and match almost any of the pieces together to create a multitude of beautiful combinations.
So dainty and feminine.
This set has more of a French personality than English. Love these colors.
Bone china remains a popular choice all over the world. It’s great for wedding showers, baby showers, book clubs, tea with friends……anything that has to do with girls!
A wonderful thing to collect, it’ll always be "en vogue” and it will always maintain it’s value.
Happy Decorating!