It’s the season for giving gifts, so why not give yourself the gift of new China? You know you’ve been wanting to replace that old pattern for ages, and now’s the time to do it. Check out some of these great patterns, including Haviland and Vera Wang china, over at Eastside China.
This regal design from Vera Wang’s china line is elegant and understated — the perfect way to show that you are as well. The Imperial Scroll Fine Bone China offers a graceful scroll design finished in a band of platinum. At just $126.65, it’s 15% off the market price — a real steal!
Next up:
This design from Lenox is a great way to show off your carefree side and love of nature. The Lenox Chirp place setting includes dinner and salad plates, a bowls and tea cup. At $79.99 it’s well-worth the price — get a few and have some guests over! You can also get a square design instead for an additional $15.
Finally:
The Haviland Symphony Gold 5pc Place Setting from Haviland’s china line, much like Vera Wang’s Imperial Scroll design, gives a whisper of charm and felicity. It’s not too much or too little, and at $260 you just can’t pass it up!
When my husband was up for a big promotion last year, he became a bit of, well, a madman. He insisted on having his boss and her husband over for dinner — and that we should — I’m sorry, had to — get new tableware for the occasion. I had no problem with this (though I did chide him a bit, since I’d be telling him for months that we should buy a new set), and set to work finding a few options for him to choose from.
I narrowed it down to:
All had a simple yet elegant feel to them, with a fun, stylish flair. Understated, but enough to make our guest feel like, “Hey! They brought out their good stuff for us.” I had my husband take a look at them, and he said he wanted the mint-green Haviland (I think he sees it as more regal-looking). I personally was partial to the Vera Wang, but you win some, you lose some. My husband won this one — he got the promotion, though — and I haven’t had the heart to tell him this — I don’t know how much the tableware had to do with it.
When cleaning antique heirloom Wedgwood dinnerware, there are some important factors to consider.
1. What You Need: Don’t use scented detergents as the chemicals in them can harm your fine Haviland china and Wedgwood dinnerware. Don’t use bleach either. Use warm water, a mild detergent, and a soft washcloth.
2. How: Clean the Haviland China in an area where if it happens to fall, it won’t break. Perhaps you can use a rubber mat underneath you, just in case.
3. Sink: Fill your sink with warm water and add some detergent to produce suds. Gently wipe your Wedgwood dinnerware or Vera Wang china with the washcloth. Don’t scrub.
4. Dry: You can air dry your Haviland china or wipe it with microfiber cloths.
Additional Tips: When you clean china in your dishwasher, you’re asking for an accident. The heat from the machine can crack it. That said, you also do not want to leave your china in an area that is subject to moisture or temperature fluctuations, which can damage the pieces. If you ever stack your china, place paper towels between them so that friction between pieces does not cause damage.
Wedgwood china and Haviland china can be priceless. It is important to treat it as such.
Before Thanksgiving gets under way, start preparing now. Make sure all your Haviland china is clean and organized. If you need a new gravy boat or any other piece of Wedgwood dinnerware, now is the time to buy it.
You can buy your turkey now and store it in your freezer until a few days before the big day, when you should move it to your refrigerator to thaw. Many chefs say that turkeys are best cooked in sections. You can’t serve the bird whole because the dark meat takes longer to cook, and the white meat needs to be tender. Cook it until the white meat is done, and then break off the legs and thighs and cover them in drippings until they are ready.
Store some chicken stock in your biggest piece of tubberware, and douse the turkey in the stock before you eat it. It will add extra moisture and it will make your turkey and other sides taste better too.
Clean your home, and change the bedding now if you’re expecting visitors next week. This will save you last minute worry. Go grocery shopping and begin making sides that will last, like cranberry sauce, for example. Store them in your fridge with plastic wrap. The more you can do now, the better you will feel next week.
Oh, and if you’ve been missing a very noticeable piece of your Haviland china set, now might be the time to get over to Eastide China and fine the replacement.
Porcelain originated in China, and includes all ceramic china that is white and translucent. The earliest pieces of china were made from fired clay. Later ceramics were glazed to be smoother. The thinner kind of china was made contemporaneously with the thicker, coarser sort, and archaeologists assume that the former were used for ritualistic practices and the latter for everyday eating.
By the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in the 15th century, enameled china was perfected by adding manganese to the cobalt to make crisper lines. Painted china became popular and the exportation of these wares led to the development of a more capitalistic society in China.
The Qing dynasty (1644-1911) saw the interaction of Western visitors with the china industry. In the early 18th century a Jesuit missionary lived in the capital of china production, Jingdezhen, which had retained the title for nearly two thousand years, and described the exacting process of crushing pottery stones and refining them into white bricks.
Today the process of china making is very similar. Vera Wang china and Wedgwood dinnerware are fine examples of this porcelain. And while most porcelain today isn’t handmade, some makers of finer porcelain, such as Vera Wang china and Kate Spade china, show an attention to detail similar to that of the original Chinese masters.
When I was a young boy, I remember being in awe of my grandmother’s china collection. She had Haviland china patterns and Wedgwood dinnerware galore. When I played with my little brother and we ran through the house, laughing and fighting, into the dining room, the haviland china jiggled in its cabinet and she came in from the kitchen, frowning. “You boys can’t play in here. This is my china room. Out,” she said, pointing a finger into the next room.
Granny was sweet and kind, and though stern when it came to her china room, she often made us pies and cookies after dinner. Sometimes, when I was older, I asked her about her china and she described how old it was and how she only used it for the most special occasions.
And when Granny, sere and withered, found herself on her deathbed, I knew that the Wedgwood dinnerware would be mine one day. Granny was wealthy and it’s not like I was looking forward to any inheritance; it was simply that I knew she would be giving me certain items.
So today, whenever I eat off of my Wedgwood dinnerware and Haviland china, I remember Granny.
In the previous weeks we’ve discussed some basic ideas and thoughts for gifts, as well as taken a look at the timeless Greek tradition of smashing plates. This week on the Judaica Gifts & Eastside China blog, we’d like to discuss the woman behind the china, miss Vera Wang.
Born and raised in the one and only New York City, Wang originally found fame as a pairs figure skater, competing in the 1968 U.S. figure skating Championships and being eatured in an article in Sports Illustrated’s first issue of 1968. When she failed to make the U.S. Olympic team, she retired from professional skating and … lucky for us… entered the world of fashion.
Vera Wang is best known for her work as a fashion designer, specifically her collection of gorgeous wedding gowns. However, in 2002 when she launched the Vera Wang China and Crystal Collection, Wang extended her beauty and elegance into the home fashion industry in a way that has been beneficial to all appreciators of fine dinnerware.
Fans of the television series Sex and the City will remember that it was one of Vera Wang’s wedding dresses that Charlotte York wore for her wedding to Trey MacDougal.
Looking for a nice housewarming gift for that nice Jewish family down the street? Here are a few of our favorite ideas for judaica gifts:
Every Jewish home should have a Mezzuzah. Placed on the front doorway, the mezzuzot come in gorgeous silver, bronze, and gold designs (just to name a few). They have a uniqueness and beauty that make for an excellent gift. It’s also important to remember that these days mezzuzot are being placed on all the doorways in a home, not just the front door, and so you shouldn’t shy away from getting one just because you think they’ve already got too many. You can always use more mezzuzot!
Any new home, regardless of the family’s faith or ethnic background, will require a good set of dinnerware. Look for something elegant, stylish, yet unique, with some Haviland China patterns or Vera Wang china designs. Proper dinnerware typically makes for an ideal set of judaica gifts, since all of the Jewish holidays at one point or another lead to some very serious feasting.
But of course, every Jewish family is going to need all the Sabbath materials. That could mean getting them a pair of candlesticks, a spixe box, or a Kiddush Cup for the Sabbath wine.
Whether they’re looking for Vera Wang China patterns, a new set of sterling silver silverware, or a gorgeous classic touch bowl, you’ll be able to get exactly what the happy couple is looking for using the Eastside China Gift Registry.
Just by going online you can create, add, delete, and manage your wedding registry… or search someone else’s registry (to find out what gifts they’re looking for, or just to come up with some ideas for your own!).
To quote the website exactly:
Eastside China will accumulate all the orders placed for the registered couple. The bride will be notified of any purchase made on the registry via e-mail.
No orders will be placed with the manufacturers until the selection and quantities are approved and finalized by the registered couple.If the registrants choose, at this point, to change the pattern or the quantities they are free to do so.Eastside China will apply fully all the accumulated credits on the registry toward the new selection.
Once registry is finalized and ordered, delivery (depending on the item) ranges between 2 to 12 weeks.
So if you’re a beautiful bride-to-be, a lucky groom, or just a friend of the happy couple looking for some Judaica Gifts, the Eastside China Gift Registry is sure to be a tremendous benefit for you.
To be honest, the first time I’d even heard of the Greek Plate Smashing Tradition was when my wife forced me to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding. (Great film, by the way, and I’m glad she forced me into watching it. Didn’t catch the spin-off TV series, however)
I’ve since learned a lot about it, and what a detriment it’s been to Haviland China dishes and Wedgwood dinnerware everywhere. While the origin of the tradition is unknown, there are many practices and uses for it. However, the most commonly seen one is when a bride and a groom smash plates at their wedding reception (as seen in the picture to the right)
However, I’ve since learned that many governments now require restaurants and wedding reception halls to purchase a special permit in order to let their guests smash plates. What’s the deal with that?
Allegedly, it’s a simple precaution taken by the government to ensure that guests of these restaurants and reception halls are safe. But the question that comes to my mind is… how does buying a permit keep the guests safe, exactly?
Is this a good move for Wedgwood dinnerware? Yes. Is it an unnecessary method for the government to meddle in affairs they shouldn’t? You betcha.
So fight the man. Smash a plate.
