Florid Summer Motifs, Outstanding Artistry

 
Chinese Flowers by Wedgwood China was first produced in 1973. Chinese Flowers is rimmed Windsor-shaped bone china with a beautiful, bright floral design and gold trim. In 1759, Josiah Wedgwood established a pottery at the "Ivy House Works" in Burslem, England. During his first 10 years of business, Wedgwood made many advances in the refining of porcelain. One of Wedgwood's most important creations was creamware, true fine china that was easy to produce, relatively inexpensive to make, easily decorated, and desired by royalty and commoner alike. In 1765, King George III's wife, Queen Charlotte, solicited Wedgwood to be "Potter to His and Her Majesty." As a result of his new title, Wedgwood changed the official name of his creamware to "Queen's Ware." Jasperware, a non-glazed porcelain featuring classical figures in bas-relief, was another important invention of Wedgwood's, and has become virtually synonymous with the Wedgwood name.

A knobbed, multi-sided stem, concave bowl that flares at the top, and gold trim enhances the criss-cross, fan, and floral cuts of Royal Doulton Wellesley Gold crystal. The pattern beautifully represents the production excellence for which Royal Doulton has become world renowned.  Founded as Doulton and Watts in Lambeth, England, in 1815, the company produced both household and industrial ceramics.  John Doulton's sons, who had joined their father in the business, eventually formed companies of their own. But turmoil in the British financial markets forced the businesses to dissolve. In 1853, they reformed as Doulton and Co. (In 1901, King Edward VII conferred a Royal Warrant upon Doulton and Co. to honor the company's production of ceramic vessels that successfully filtered pollutants from the water of the Thames River, London's primary source for drinking water.)

Reed & Barton's Burgundy is a gorgeous sterling pattern that features a scalloped tip, a superbly sculpted scroll, leaf, and flower design, and a glossy finish. While Burgundy is very stylish on its own, its ornate design is an ideal complement to the Chinese Flowers and Wellesley Gold patterns. This classic pattern, first produced in 1949, was immediately popular, and has understandably remained so since. Burgundy is emblematic of its maker, Reed & Barton of Taunton, MA, a company that traces its origins to a jewelry store founded by Isaac Babbitt in 1822. Now well into its second century of operation, Reed & Barton is a leader in finely crafted sterling silver and stainless steel. With the Reed & Barton Burgundy sterling pattern on your table, you'll enjoy the gorgeous, unique design and high quality silver that customers have praised for nearly 200 years!