Whether it is your great-grandmother’s rare china or a set you have meticulously and persistently collected for years, being able to use those pieces you love and cherish is certainly the most rewarding part of collecting in the first place. There is nothing better than having a beautifully set table for guests, complete with your favorite china pieces.
But what do you do if one of those pieces breaks or is damaged? Accidents can and very often do happen, whether it is from cleaning, moving, or while being used, a broken heirloom or sentimental piece can be a very scary and heartbreaking thing.
If it is only a minor chip or small crack, the piece can probably very easily be fixed. However, what if the whole piece has shattered into a thousand pieces? Your best bet would be to contact a matching service that specializes in replacement china pieces and discontinued china.
Most reputable china replacement services have thousands of pieces of china in stock that come in hundreds of different patterns, some old and some newer. Request a list of their inventory, which they can send either in postal mail or via e-mail. Even if you do not have a piece that currently needs to be replaced, it is always a good idea to have such list just in case.
They will also be able to let you know months in advance if a pattern is going to be discontinued. This will enable you to stock up on additional pieces while you can.
When contacting a china replacement service, make sure you have on hand as much information as you know about the piece (or pieces) you are trying to replace. You can look on the back of the piece for the manufacturer name, and sometimes they have the pattern name and or number as well.
If you do not have any of this information, take a clear photograph of the piece (or a matching piece) to send to the company. Often, the experts can tell what pattern it is just by looking at it.
For discontinued china, a replacement service is also your best bet. Scrounging antique shops and browsing online may prove to be fruitless, unless it is a very common pattern you are after.
Now that you know where to go in case one of your china pieces breaks, never fear! Dust off those dishes and set a gorgeous table for your next gathering!
Source: www.articledashboard.com
