Holiday

[PamfromCT]

@Oznell 

What a lovely display you have given us!  I am partial to

all things English, maybe an obsession that fed me until I had to stop, lest I start a mini museum.

I have the Pointed Antique silver you referenced - the picture you posted really looks the same.  I do have 4 sets of dishes, all English of course. The silver is perfect for our Early American home.

DH and I just celebrated our 59th anniversary, still in our family home.  We have been blessed.

[Oznell]

Oh, boy, thinking about dinnerware today kept me going all through the prepping and seasoning of birds, cleaning up cooking messes and beating up my cream cheese frosting etc., ha.

I have so many favorites over the years, it's insane.  A bunch of my pals and I used to haunt the antique stores and signature old department stores when I lived in New Orleans.

Some of my tastes have changed over time, but I still like most of the things I used to gape at and dream about.

In crystal, for some reason I've always liked the plainer goblets, like "Rambouillet" by Cristal d'Arques.  I like the oval panels on it, like facets, and then that little knob you can grab it by, on the stem.

 

I used to have goblets very similar to that...

I do have a small set of silver-- Reed and Barton's "18th Century". 

Were I picking today, I'd try to get vintage silver, for the weight and size of it.  "18th Century" has nice fluting, a detail I'm always drawn to-- but the place size in that, is really more of a compact luncheon size.

It has some cool serving pieces though, like the sugar shell--

But, one's tastes change, and now I think I like more "rococo" silver!

A friend of mine had a fabulous pattern from the legendary Buccellati silver company-- "Empire".  ( I think it would be "Impero" in Italian?)

"Empire" is so gorgeous and HEAVY in person--

Crazy tongs!

Also like Tiffany's "Audubon" for the wispy and varied bird designs--

  

And for a super ornate design, have long loved regal "Francis I" pattern by Reed and Barton:

  

The different carved fruits are little works of art....

[Oznell]

Why, @PamfromCT ,  how wonderful-- congrats on your anniversary!  What a stellar couple you and your husband are.  And wishing you and your family a beautiful Thanksgiving, and Happy Thanksgiving to all others on the thread.

Four sets of china, how lucky, and what fun to set tables with.  I'm not surprised you have "Pointed Antique".   It has such elegant simplicity, one of my faves. 

[PamfromCT]

@Oznell 

Thank you for your kind words!

While our home is a reproduction colonial, I should mention that our town originated in the 1600s.  Not unusual in our state, as settlers ventured up the CT River, and towns somewhat close to the river are very old. Perfect match for us.  

[jlkz]

@Oznell 

Story about the Wedgwood "Green Arras":  When we got married, we had paid for most of the wedding and had very little money.  I had fallen in love with this China pattern but couldn't afford a place setting here.

While on our Jamaican honeymoon, we found it for $35 / place setting and bought 4 with French crystal glassware for it.  We flew home seated on the very last row of the plane and held onto our purchases as the plane tangoed with a hurricane.

Each time we visited Jamaica we bought 4 place settings: I now have service for 12.  The gold is 22 karat and years ago when the price of gold hit some high, each place setting was worth over $300 !!!  I can't imagine what it is worth now...regardless, I wish DH could have agreed to sell it.

The little soup tureen in the picture was usually used to serve a shrimp scampi appetizer.  Yes, I put the China in my dishwasher on lower heat and air dried.  No damage.

Word to those considering bone china: Don't.  The material is subject to the slightest knife pressure, even for eating flounder !

Also, we discovered that keeping the rarely used dining room at 55 degrees caused serving pieces to have the bottoms drop out in a nice spiral and the lids to crack.  Some issues could be repaired but the cost was outrageous and no guaranties.

Beautiful to look at.....

[Witchy Woman]

@FancyPhillyshopper 

A dear friend of mine had Gorham Versailles.  It is exquisite.  

[Group 5 minus 1]

Were any of those china sets manufactured by Castleton China?

[Marsha2003]

One of my favorite topics!  I love seeing everyone's choices.

Even though I sold much of my collection when I downsized, I still have way more than I will ever need and I can't seem to stop collecting different patterns.  I do limit the number of dishes in a new-to-my-collection pattern to a few plates rather than buying whole sets.

For everyday, I've started using Wedgwood's Nantucket Basket, but I'll only purchase pieces made in England.  For supplemental pieces, I've started to add vintage cut or pressed glass items that can coordinate with most of my patterns rather than buying the pieces specific to one pattern.

I think I mentioned in another of your posts, @Oznell, that I added a few plates of Herend Forêt a couple of years ago.  Then, last spring I found a nice collection of Aynsley Pembroke at an estate sale.  I love using it in the spring.

[jannabelle1]

Such beautiful pieces! I have always had a weakness for china and crystal and if I could I would choose the Autumn china pattern in an instant! The Russian crystal is also so beautiful - I imagine it's heavy as well! Thanks for such an interesting post!

[Sooner]

@Oznell Ricci silver makes nice sterling patterns of the Imperial, Imperio and Japanese bird patterns! Silversuperstore webside has them...

I love the glassware pattern too!!!!!