Ceramic & Porcelain

Fired clay across its three useful grades — porcelain for thin, hard, bright white pieces, stoneware for heavier reactive-glaze plates and bowls, and bone china for cups and saucers. The collection covers dinner and soup plates, salad and serving bowls, coffee mugs, spice jars, dipping dishes and airtight canisters, from about $22 to $79.

What is the difference between porcelain, stoneware and bone china?

Porcelain is fired hottest, which makes it dense, bright white and thin enough to feel light while still resisting chips — the textured white dinner plates here are porcelain. Stoneware is fired slightly cooler, so it stays heavier and more opaque and takes a reactive glaze that varies piece to piece. Bone china is the thinnest and most translucent of the three, which is why it is used for the cup and saucer sets rather than for dinner plates.

Is this ceramic dinnerware dishwasher and microwave safe?

Each listing states the care for that piece. As a rule the plain and textured porcelain and stoneware here is dishwasher safe and microwave safe; the exceptions are pieces with metallic trim, which should not go in a microwave, and hand-painted decoration, which lasts longer washed by hand. Reactive glazes are food safe and sealed, so the colour variation does not affect use.

Why does each reactive-glaze plate look different?

A reactive glaze contains minerals that move and pool during firing, so the colour breaks differently over every rim and foot. Two plates from the same batch will not match exactly, and that is the intended result rather than a fault. If you want an even, repeatable finish across a full service, choose the plain white textured porcelain instead.

Can a ceramic range be added to over time?

Yes, and it is the usual way to buy it. Fired ceramic patterns stay in a range far longer than printed disposables, so a service started with six dinner plates can be extended with bowls and serving pieces later. Reactive glazes vary piece to piece by nature, so a later addition will not match exactly — that variation is the character of the glaze.