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About Two Million years ago, in what is now the Great Rift Valley in Africa, Lucy and Lou a pair of Primitive Hominids were eating in a a area of fruit and coconut trees. Lou, a young male, was eating his meal of fruit and nuts, by going from tree to bush, and scavenging on the ground. The female Lucy picked up, a broken coconut shell and as the young male hopped from tree to bush, grabbing different food,  Lucy followed, putting the different items on the half shell till it was full. Then she handed it to her young male friend, and he sat down and ate from the shell, as she watched.

When he was done, Lucy took the shell he had tossed away, and cleaned it in a stream. Then she took it back to their tree, to keep and use again. She always remembered her friend, quite fondly when she looked at that old broken shell. Yes this may have been the first use of dinnerware.

When the anthropologist searches a cave or early man site, besides bones he is also looking for other signs of early man. Most of the time what he is looking for is small shards of pottery. This pottery is most likely ancient food storage vessels, cookware, and yes, dinnerware.From caveman ruins of Cro-Magnon man and Neanderthals, from the Ancient ruins of the Anastasia of the Southwest United States, the ancient Pyramids of the Arabian Desert, the Mayan ruins of Central America, from every corner and place where man has lived we find the remains of one of mans most prized and used possessions, Dinnerware ! For the most part, with the exception of the early Greeks and Romans, most ancient dinnerware or pottery, while spread all over the world, different Cultures had different styles of pottery.

You could identify many old tribes by the type of pottery remains you found on their settlement remains. Many ancient peoples valued their pottery and dinnerware so much they were entombed with it! Today, our dinnerware is now commonly called “China”. There is a good reason for this. Generally dinnerware made of porcelain is actually what the word china was meant to encompass. Porcelain was invented in China over 1,000 years ago. Emperors of the Song Dynasty get most of the credit for developing porcelain, although it was likely invented during the Tang Dynasty about 100 years before. The Song dynasty built Royal factories that were made for making fine porcelain objects, including dinnerware for their palaces. Eventually about mid way thru the Song dynasty, 1100 AD, the art of making porcelain had spread throughout the East, and by 1400 AD had made its way to Europe!

Ming vase

While china manufacturing spread throughout Southeast Asia and China, and Europe, no where was it ever as popular as in the early 1700’s an the Chinese city of Jingdezhen had over 3,000 factories for firing China, called kilns. Even today, the best porcelain dinnerware, and vases are said to have been made in China during these two later Dynasties, Ming (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1912). The cost of importing this highly sought after dinnerware was very high. So high only the very rich could afford it.

This led Europeans to start their own “China” factories. They used a different mixture of clays and such, those creating a “softer China”, which had a more duller or soft tone then the pure white porcelain of China. In England around the 1700’s another form of “China” was developed “Bone China". This China is actually made from a mixture of traditional porcelain clays, and bone ash. Today Bone China is available from England and Japan, as well as most other countries. Of course, many of our most valuable and collectable dinnerware is not made of porcelain, but is made of pottery, the most ancient form of dinnerware. Surprisingly you can buy pottery dinnerware,  the same type of dinnerware used by many of our earliest ancestors at very reasonable prices. Pottery dinnerware sometimes known as earthenware, was very popular during the 50’s and 60’s . Many companies, mostly in an America produced beautiful pottery dinnerware that can be acquired at very low prices on eBay or second hand stores.

Knowles China ci 1952

 A cruder Mexican form of pottery dinnerware, called Red Ware or talaqapaque pottery is quite collectable. This pottery is very similar to pottery produced by the Native peoples of these areas and the Southwest.

Probably the most widely used pottery today in Dinnerware is Stoneware. It’s almost everywhere you go, in stores, and in restaurants. Most people probably have stoneware in there houses, at least here in the United States. Stoneware pottery is fired at a very high temperature until vitrified. This means real solid and able to hold liquids. Stoneware also originated in China, about 3500 years ago. Some of the most collectable and sought after pieces of stoneware today, were made here in the United States, in the Virginia and New England area mid 18th century. A great source of information on these old items is the book, "Ceramics in America" edited by Robert Hunter.

Now days Dinnerware can be made from glass. This became really  popular about mid  century. Even  plastic dishes were very popular during the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Today dinnerware comes from all corners of the world. Some of the most commonly collected dishes, were made in Japan after World War two, and are still made there today. European porcelain dinnerware is as popular as ever. More and more Stoneware is being made in China
No matter what your tastes, anyone can start collecting almost any type or pattern, by buying on eBay.

eBay Listings for China and Dinnerware

 There is nothing more rewarding then finding a great dinnerware pattern and collecting it one piece or two at a time on ebay. My advice is to try and find an obscure pattern that not many people have.

While you might have to wait a while to complete your set you will probably wind up paying less in the long run, as there will be less competition for the pieces. Of course the best place on eBay to start is World Dinnerware Replacements an eBay store!

World Dinnerware Replacements