When it comes to stemware and fine china dinnerware, the options are as endless as your menu selections. Sure using the “right” glasses can seem a little trivial, but if you’re trying to plan a dinner or cocktail party to impress, using the right glassware is crucial. For instance, you wouldn’t want to serve your boss, who graciously came over to your cocktail party, wine in a champagne flute. It’s just tacky! If you’re a little in the dark about which glasses coordinate to which drink, here’s the rundown:

-Highball/Cocktail glass: I always used these as juice glasses until I realized that they were specifically for mixed drinks. It’s straight sided and about 12 to 14 oz.

-Old Fashioned Glass: Also knows as a rocks glass, these are short with rounded sides and are typically 8 to oz. If you’re serving liquor with no mixers, or just a splash of a mixer, it should go in one of these. They are also used for specific types of cocktails like Black Russians, Brown cows, and Old Fashions.

-Wine Glass: This might seem like a no brainer, but a lot of people don’t realize that there are two types of wine glasses—one for reds and one for whites. Red wine glasses are a little larger with a bigger bowl that sort of gradually tapers in at the top. White wine glasses are taller and have a thinner stem.

For the best selection of glasses, stemware, and luxurious Gorham silverware visit SilverSpoonStore.com!

I was invited to an old friend’s wedding a few months ago, and was on the fence about going. It was in Florida, which meant that I would have to fly there and find a hotel, but I really wanted to catch up with my old college friends, and spending the weekend on the beach sounded pretty nice too. I decided to go at the last minute, and was going over my flight info the week before when I realized I had to get her some gifts for bridal shower and a wedding gift! In a panic, I went online to my favorite place to get fine china dinnerware—Silverspoonstore.com.

They have a great selection of bridal gifts for unbelieveable prices. I ended up getting her the Bellina by Lenox Frame, the Bellina by Lenox Ringholder and the Floating Hearts by Lenox Champagne Flutes. They were shipped to my apartment before I left for the trip which was such a relief. She ended up loving my gifts and everyone at the shower was asking where I found such great stuff. Since there’s no sense in keeping a great place like SilverspoonStore.com a secret, I told them all about my favorite site!

When we’re setting the table for a dinner party or just a nice family dinner, presentation is key. We pull out all the stops to get the table looking its best whether it’s by bringing out the fine china dinnerware, making a nice floral arrangement for the center of the table, or bringing out your finest table linens. Sometimes though, all of those lovely things can be incredibly time-consuming to get together and even more so when it’s time to clean up. If you’d love to have your fine china dinnerware presented it’s best for your next family meal or dinner party, you can use charger plates.

Chargers add a certain air of drama to your table without the production of a fully dressing your table with a fine cloth and a center piece and usually come with your fine china dinnerware set. They are larger than a dinner plate and usually have a contrasting rim that sticks out when placed underneath the corresponding dinner ware. Using the charger plate really dresses up a table and has a refined feel about it without going over the top. So next time you’re looking to spruce up the table a bit, bust out your complete fine china dinnerware set and start polishing those charger plates.

So you agreed to host a dinner party and are panicking because you’ve never thrown one before and really can’t cook. Well, fear not. There are tons of ways you can impress your guests for a dinner party (even if you’re secretly plating take-out). With the right combination of fine china dinnerware, sparkling silver and stemware and nice crisp table linens, your guests will be so dazzled the food will be secondary.

Plates:

If you’re going for a classy, upscale dinner party you’re going to need matching plates. Fine china dinnerware would be ideal, but if time is of the essence, any cohesive set you have that matches would work. Chargers also are a classy touch to otherwise simple plates.

Hostess Sets:

If you don’t have a hostess set or have no idea what constitutes a hostess set, you should start your research. They are a really elegant way to serve the food and is a subtle way of tying the table together and many are available at your dinner party headquarters, The Silver Spoon Store.

Table Linens:

If you want to really impress, and protect your table at the same time, you’re going to need some nice table linens. One to cover the table and then individual napkins for each place setting.

There is tons of variety when it comes to fine china dinnerware, whether it’s the design, the pattern, the brand or the materials. With all this variety comes a lot of terminology. It’s wedding season which means people are going to be buying a lot of fine china dinnerware and hostess sets. If you’re looking for the perfect dinnerware set, here is some information on how to distinguish bone china from stoneware:

•    Bone china- the strongest of the fine china materials. Is lightweight, dainty, and gleams in light. Bone china is a double-fired combination of porcelain and bone ash. It is semi-opaque and has a pearlescent quality about it.
•    Porcelain- Often confused with bone china, porcelain is luxurious, lustrous, and has an impermeable finish.
•    Ironstone- This fine material is created as a slightly more durable alternative to porcelain. It is less formal and suitable for formal and informal events.
•    Earthenware- One of the most popular materials, earthenware is slightly heavier than the other materials and has a simple appearance that makes it perfect for daily use.
•    Stoneware- This heavyweight, non-porous material is also perfect for everyday use. It can withstand years of use and when taken care of can last for years to come.

Gorham knows a thing or two about fine silverware; they’ve been at it since 1831! The Gorham line got its start when Jabez Gorham began making coin silver spoons to respond to demand throughout New England.

Gorham’s dedication to unrivaled quality that you can only get through old world craftsmanship shines in each and every piece of Gorham silverware that has been produced over the last 170 years.

The Gorham line features some really gorgeous flatware designs, and if you’re buying gifts for bridal shower or weddings, you can be sure that your gift will be well-received. Here are three Gorham silverware styles that are sure to please even the pickiest bride-to-be:

The Blossom designs are akin to a more classic, simple style playing on the Gorham’s original designs.

The Golden Criteria design is clean and simple and the subtle gold edging as a bit of style, without being over-the-top.

Marabella’s design is sleek, deco, and contemporary. The square handles really add a modern touch to traditionally beautiful flatware style. 

In the world of fine china dinnerware and flatware, there are many terms thrown about. These terms can be pretty mind-boggling if you have no experience with formal dining and the items that you use during such a dinner. Admittedly, there are a lot of things that look identical, but have completely different functions. Three things that often get confused in the world of formal dining are hostess sets, serving sets, and entertainment sets.  Hopefully this blog post will help shed some light on the differences between these three similar sets.

Hostess sets:                  

Hostess sets typically include a tablespoon, a pierced tablespoon, a sugar spoon and a butter serving knife.

Serving Set:

Serving sets are generally composed of a cold meat fork, a gravy ladle and a tablespoon.

Entertainment Set:

An entertainment set usually is a large serving spoon, a large serving fork, and a pastry server.

For the best selection of hostess sets, serving sets, entertainment sets and more, be sure to visit www.silverspoonstore.com.

There’s something refined about drinking tea.

Maybe it’s the image we have of royals sipping their afternoon teas in their elaborate palaces.

Maybe it’s the vast history—it has been said that tea was introduced sometime around the 10th century.
After water, it is the most widely consumed beverage in the world.

Any tea lover will tell you that a good cup of tea is even better when it’s in a beautifully decorated-fine boned china tea cup.

If you’re looking for gifts for bridal shower the 100 Years of Royal Albert 10-Piece Teacup & Saucer Set is the perfect gift for the bride-to-be, who loves tea. This beautiful set is composed of 5 tea cups and 5 saucers from Royal Albert, a successful British china company with rich history, dating back to 1896.

The 5 teacups and saucers are fine-boned china, have gold banding, are dishwasher safe, have a commemorative back stamp, and are beautifully packaged. The distinctive patterns pay homage to the Royal Albert brand’s vitality and longevity combining rich classic shapes, and ornate and delicate floral design patterns.

For more great gifts for bridal shower, visit the SilverSpoonStore.com today!

I’ve given my closest friends theater tickets, day spa vouchers, clothes, jewelry, lingerie and all sorts of things over the years for their birthdays, but these days, I like to give them fine china dinnerware because it’s something they can treasure and remember me by forever. And I’m not talking full, formal dinnerware sets of plates because they already have those.

I’m talking about individual, one-off pieces of fine china dinnerware with striking or quirky designs that bring color to the dining table. After all, it can be a little boring when everything looks the same, especially when you’re just having a casual meal. In my opinion, you can never have enough serving plates and platters, and serveware with an off-beat look really creates a talking point when you’re hosting. Recently, for her 40th birthday, I gave one of my friends a gorgeous Arabesque by Dansk fish-shaped platter, which I found through www.SilverSpoonStore.com. Blue and white, it’s such a cute piece, perfect for holding bread rolls or cheese at the table. Now my other friends all want one for their birthdays!