You have to make a utilitarian decision when you go shopping for that new dinnerware, and in this guide I will try to show you what to think about.

When you go shopping for that new dinnerware set there’s a number of questions that you’ve got to ask yourself. The first and foremost question is this one: what are you going to use it for?

Are you going to serve Thanksgiving dinner on the dinnerware once a year to the family from around the country, or are you going to eat from the dinnerware day in and day out in your everyday life?

Are your kids going to handle the dinnerware, or will it be locked in the cupboard until it is used for special occasions? Are you going to wash it a lot?

For the special times
It is natural to want to serve your friends and family on beautiful dinnerware. You want to dazzle your friends; no matter whether you’re friends and family go for modern design dinnerware or if they prefer to eat from classic china.

Since you’re not going to use this type of dinnerware often, you can allow the material in the dinnerware to be more brittle and rare. That opens the field a lot and you can select from a broad range of dinnerware.

You have everything from feldspar porcelain to genuine china. A great example of a feldspar china is the Corona series from Rörstrand if you want a more contemporary design, or Rörstrand’s Ostindia series if you want a more classical one.

The prices for fine china will be higher, but here on eBay you will probably be able to find great bargains.

When your kids drop the china
If your run a café, or if you have the normal hectic life of any family with children, and you want a china that you can use every day for years and that will withstand being washed very often, then your choice of china grows limited.

The best china for you is probably what is called stoneware, which is a special type of china that is very durable and very tough. Great examples of stoneware china is the Fiestaware series and the Höganäs series. Stoneware dinnerware sets are both stylish and durable, these days, and this writer can attest that at least with the Höganäs series, you can bake in the plates.