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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 in the ancient world were often characterized by the pottery that remained years after they had ceased to exist. Archaeologists would find these remains as they combed through the various archeological sites. It’s interesting to note that many people valued their dinnerware and pottery so much that they were even buried with it.

Sometimes people will refer to dinnerware as “China”. Ever wonder why? It’s because years ago dinnerware was made from porcelain, and porcelain making was invented by the Chinese over 1000 years ago. Logical answer, eh? Probably invented by the Tang Dynasty, but the emperors of the Song Dynasty seem to be taking most of the credit for it. Half way through the Song Dynasty, around 1100 AD, the process of porcelain making was being circulated throughout the East. By the time the–00’s AD had rolled around, this knowledge had made its way to Europe.

Years ago, importing fine dinnerware from China was a very expensive proposition. Due to this expense, only the very wealthy could afford to own it. The remedy this situation, the Europeans started to create their own “China Factories”. They modified the process a bit by incorporating some different clays and other materials. This resulted in a softer China, one that was to have a duller tone than those similar products that were being imported from China. Around 1700 we see another form of China starting to emerge onto the scene. It was called “Bone China”, a name resulting from the fact it was a mixture of both porcelain clays and “bone ash”.

Today, most of our valuable and yes collectable dinnerware is made from pottery, not porcelain. It’s sometimes called “earthenware”, and it was extremely popular during the decades of the’50’s and’60’s.

Stoneware is the most widely used pottery today. It seems to be all around us, from stores to restaurants, from homes to hotels. Stoneware is fired at a very high temperature until it is completely solid, and therefore able to hold liquids. The process for creating Stoneware, as was porcelain, was developed in China, about 3500 years ago. It’s interesting to note that some of the most sought after pieces of Stoneware were created in the mid’00’s here in the United States (in the Virginia and New England areas to be more exact).

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.

Want to find out more about a particular Dinner Set, then visit Diana Richards’s site on how to choose the best Dinner Set for all your needs.

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