Red Vanilla Bone China Dinnerware Set Review
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We purchased the Red Vanilla Bone China Dinnerware Set to put it to the test in her home. Keep reading to learn more about the product.
Red Vanilla describes its 16-piece dinnerware set, which includes four dinner plates, four salad plates, four mugs, and four soup bowls, as versatile enough for everyday use as well as entertaining. However, these dishes require a delicate touch right out of the box. We felt anxious with angles this sharp and China this thin during the unboxing. It is hard to imagine pulling these out of the cupboard for a casual meal with their bold modern design. They would look stunning when on display and not in use, but they would also be a beautiful complement to a current design scheme for a special occasion.
Contents
Modern and gleaming white in appearance
I love how the dishes have an exceptionally bright white hue (they almost glow), and how that contributes to the set’s cool, ultramodern look. When not in use, the dinnerware would look just as stunning in a contemporary China cabinet or hutch. We also loved the surface quality. Despite carefully inspecting each dish with a phone flashlight, we found no significant surface flaws despite its ultra-glossy finish.
However, the great shine comes with great responsibility. A polished plate looks great, but the slippery surface puts the real star (your food) at risk of sliding right off the edge. Plates are designed to bow slightly at the center, but without a lip, rim, or textured surface to grip onto, rice and a number of peas ended up on our dining table.
Style-wise, the dramatic angles and glossy finish prevent the dinnerware set from being more versatile. Overall, it lends itself better to formal dinners than Friday night pizza. Moreover, while the mugs are relatively straightforward, the shape of the plates is going to make mixing the set with your existing dishes quite difficult.
Handle with care: Durability
As a result of being tempered with animal bone ash, bone China gains additional strength and ivory color. While bone China dishes are often thinner than their plain porcelain or stoneware counterparts, they’re usually more resistant to chipping, scratching, and mechanical breakage. While the Red Vanilla dishes were far and away from the thinnest of the ones we reviewed, the fact that they survived three dishwasher loads and a lot of clanking during stacking and use speaks to their relative durability. We believe that the set’s Achilles’ heel is the corners. Enhanced porcelain strength will only go so far as to protect edges this sharp from being snapped off if they are not treated gently.
Shipping may be a problem
In our set, each of the four-piece place settings (dinner plate, salad plate, bowl, and mug) was nestled snugly in a small box, which was then packed into a sturdy cardboard box. Shipping boxes and packaging all appeared to be of high quality, and all 16 pieces arrived in one piece, so we think we were lucky.
Luxury at a reasonable price
The cost of bone China sets varies considerably, but one thing is certain: they are rarely cheap. A multi-service set like this one, as opposed to à la carte pieces, should save you a lot of money if you know the number of place settings you need. A 16-piece set costs $499.99 (MSRP), so it’s a pricey investment, but it’s high-quality.
