Your One Stop Shop for Your Dinner Set Reviews
Dinner time in the United States used to mean one thing…sitting around a kitchen or dining room table with loved ones and enjoying a beautiful meal together. Surrounding the kitchen or dining room table, and eating off a nice dinner set, complete with a fork, knife, spoon, plate, glasses, napkins and a centerpiece was a great way to enjoy some fantastic conversation, and welcome in the evening hours.
In this article we will be exploring the world of one of these components, the humble dinner set. We will be explaining where these sets originated, and if time permits, we will be offering details on some of the finest examples available today.
Civilizations of the ancient world were often identified by the pottery that they created. Archaeologists would often find these items buried in the various sites that they would be combing through. It’s interesting to note that people often valued these items so much that they went so far as to be buried with them.
In today’s world we call dinnerware “China”. What a strange name? Have you ever wondered why this is the case? There is a logical answer. Years ago dinnerware was made out of porcelain, and was invented by, you guessed it, the Chinese, over 1000 years ago. In actuality it was probably invented by the Tang Dynasty, but the emperors of the Song Dynasty seem to get most of the credit these days. Mid-way through the Song Dynasty, around 1100 AD, the skill and art of porcelain making had made its way throughout the East. By the year 1400 AD it had migrated to Europe.
Because the cost of importing fine dinnerware from China was so expensive, only the very rich could afford it. To remedy this situation, the Europeans started to create their own “China” factories. They did modify the process a bit, incorporating a different mixture of clays and other materials. The result was a “softer China”, one that had a duller or “softer tone” than those products that were being imported from China. Around 1700, in England, another form of “China” was starting to be developed. It was called “Bone China”, and it was made from a mixture of both porcelain clays and bone ash.
In today’s world, most of our collectable and valuable dinnerware is made out of pottery, not the original porcelain. Sometimes referred to as “earthenware”, it was extremely popular during the time of Elvis and the Beatles (the 50′s and 60′s).
Stoneware is the answer, but what is the question? How about “What’s the most widely used pottery today”? It seems to be everywhere if you just take a minute to look. From restaurants to stores, from hotels to homes, it’s everywhere. It’s created by heating the item at a very high temperature until it’s completely solid, and can thereby hold liquids. The process for creating Stoneware, like that of porcelain, was invented in China about 3500 years ago. In the mid 1800′s, in the Virginia and New England areas of the US, some of the most collectable pieces of Stoneware were developed.
So that’s it, the history of the humble dinner set. If you would like to learn of our TOP PICKS in this category, please navigate over to our blog.
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