Limoges is an antique line of china dishware that I’ve been collecting since my friend, the ‘Grand Duke of Shaughnessy’ (he doesn’t have social media, so he’s officially whatever I choose to hashtag him as. You’re welcome, Grand Duke.), started putting dinner parties onto a whoooooole ‘nother level.
I originally bought a set of gorgeous platters from a gal out of Scottsdale/Phoenix I found on Insta/Ebay (and whom I later met IRL – she’s awesome and curates some beautiful pieces, so definitely check her out), then found an ENTIRE 10-pc dinner/salad/tea setting — FOR $100 — on a Black Friday Sale in Palm Springs. Unfortunately the shop has since closed, but more remarkable than the price was the fact it made it home in my luggage without a single breakage LOL!
Since then, as I see a piece I grab it. It’s always a pleasant surprise to find it in the local thrift shops for $6. Some are authentic, stamped Limoges, some are “similar to”, as we say in Architecture. It all looks amazing at dinner in the end, and only the ‘Grand Duke’ would ever flip to the plates to confirm authenticity hahaha.
Before today’s thrifty finds, I hadn’t seen this wide, shallow bowl style. ODDLY, today I found 3 – 2 Limoges and 1 ‘similar to’ from China. No matter – they happen to be the same size/shape, and happily there are more to be found on ebay if I need to fill out to a dinner-party-sized number.
One day there will be gorgeous dinnerwares with this logo! Maybe! I’m hoping! That would be SO.NEXT.LEVEL.
Although listed as a ‘SOUP’ bowl, I think they’ll be perfect for smaller portions of a decadent pasta, like the Poached Quail Egg Ravioli with Lemon Sage Sauce I’ll be attempting this weekend. Happily the cashier gave them all to be for the lowest price of $5.
The word Limoges actually refers to a City/area in France where this particular style of china is manufactured by a variety of factories, hence the wide array of stamps you’ll find on the back. While I don’t believe I have any of the original Serves porcelain pieces of royal heritage, I definitely have some of the Haviland whose factories date back to 1841. But there are TENS OF THOUSANDS of Limoges stamps out there, so I don’t usually worry about exact identification. I tend to focus on the gold rim, as that’s what they’re most well-known for, and the easiest to find/match.
In the meantime, as I wrap up my gold-rimmed Limoges collection, I’m beginning to research Wedgwood to start a NEW collection of decorative ‘charger’ plates to fancy up my Pottery Barn Caterer’s plates (and I can already hear the sighs and eyerolls from Hubby… YES, I’m sure I need more plates… NO, I don’t know where we’ll put them… ).
I fell in LOVE with a set of green chargers I saw in the Dining Room at Sunnylands during a private tour. Now THERE’S a place that has an amazing collection of dinnerware! I might not be cooking for Presidents or Queens, but that doesn’t mean my guests aren’t just as important and shouldn’t be just as spoiled haha.
What? Obsessive?! I’m the only one that falls in love with a plate??
*sigh*
