Services for the price of an apartment or why you shouldn’t save on plates

Nowadays, porcelain is associated mainly with distant antiquity or dusty shelves of the Soviet era. Many owners of such dishes, which came from their grandmothers, try to get rid of junk as soon as possible, as they call it. Some consider the service a waste of money and are ready to exchange their soul for ordinary plates!

“Perhaps this attitude also has a place to be,” says Elena Soboleva, an expert on antiques. – You have to understand that if you often invite guests and you have a very stylish interior, then plates from a hypermarket will not work! Dishes are not just kitchen utensils, but an indicator of your prestige. And it’s much nicer to just dine from beautiful plates. Porcelain, of course, is not a cheap material than faience. The simplest small kit costs from 3000 rubles. This clay ceramic material has a number of advantages: strength, heat transfer, environmental friendliness and lightness.

For the first time, porcelain appeared in Asia and replaced jade.

– The trend of minimalism is firmly entrenched in the world, – the expert continues. – This style appeared in the XX century. First he gained popularity in Japan, then he captured Europe, the United States and reached Russia. Minimalism motto: nothing more. This is not a deliberate rejection of everything, but still a conscious step. The philosophy of minimalism speaks primarily of focusing on emotions, relationships, etc., rather than on material things and empty bombast. The same analogy can be drawn with utensils. It is judged by its shape, color, material, texture. A sophisticated and elegant set is always at the height of fashion. For example, a person in a store comes across a kind of monochromatic service, which at first glance resembles ordinary plates. When he sees that the set is equal to the cost of the car, he begins to be indignant: what to pay that kind of money for? However, it is the expensive designer kit that is most often monochromatic. Its grace and special charm can be appreciated due to its unusual texture and, for example, fluid or broken shape. Nowadays, there are few places where you can see the legendary painted flowers, like from nesting dolls. The graphics, asymmetry, various irregularities are mainly relevant. There is also a tendency towards calm shades. Black sets were especially fond of! Those who cannot live without gold borders can choose dishes that are completely gold or silver. It will perfectly fit into any interior and will be a good gift. Along with minimalism, luxury is still popular. But not at the expense of pretentiousness and color chaos, but the effects of antiquity, the presence of precious stones and, of course, handmade. Collectors hunt for copies of the imperial sets. Various scuffs, bends, cracks are made only from the best and most expensive materials. Prices for simplified luxury kits start at 40 rubles. There is gold in the decor. Further, the price increases due to the size of the image, inlaid with diamonds and other expensive gems.

Chicken Cup porcelain bowl – $ 36 million

At first glance, such a bowl is nothing special. However, its owner was the eighth emperor of China from the Ming dynasty – Zhu Jianshenu. In total, there are 14 such copies in the world that are in museums.

Service for 30 thousand dollars

– The cost of the service suggests that it is handmade, – comments Elena. – Made of the finest porcelain and decorated with 4 carat gold designs. The spoons and forks are polished with malachite stones, studded with diamonds, amber and rubies. This set, as we can see, is in the largest museums in the world and is sold at auctions.

Bowl “Lotus” from red porcelain for $ 9,5 million

The product has a historical value. Initially, it belonged to the hereditary owner of antiques – Dr. Alice Cheng. Then it was resold several times and found a new owner for $ 9,5 million.

“Particularly subtle connoisseurs of antiques prefer red porcelain,” says expert Elena Soboleva. – It is still a secret what is added there in addition to the main ingredients. After all, it is they who help the dishes to withstand firing at 1300 degrees. This makes the porcelain waterproof and unusually hard. Note that red porcelain is very easy to spoil. Therefore, the master ceramists work incredibly sensitively and accurately with it. Note the sophisticated pattern in shades of yellow, turquoise and white. This is especially appreciated by professional collectors.