[click the < arrows > to slide!] I have a special weakness for beautiful sets of plates... Not long ago I had a beautiful dessert service made by Ridgway with stunning botanical paintings, and it was sold within hours. So I felt very lucky to come across the stunning Coalport service with similarly amazing flowers - and again it was sold within hours! But because it is so beautiful, I will still show you its beauty. I am saying dessert service - but actually I should say "par

[click the < arrows > to slide!] I am sometimes asked: what is the difference between "tooled" gilt and "raised" gilt? And what about "chased" gilt? The simple answer is: they are all the same. Perhaps a professional gilder will disagree, but then I'd love to hear in detail what the difference is, as I have not been able to find out myself! Today we have a stunning piece of art: a vase in the Persian Revival style with a tooled/chased/raised gilt image of a very English spoon

[click the < arrows > to slide!] It is autumn here, and all colours are changing fast... on my desk is a vase with beautiful chrysanthemums and the last of the hydrangeas in my garden. Today I am showing a dessert service by Minton, decorated with superb chrysanthemums and raised gilt. This service was made in 1894 to the highest specifications. The plates are simple and made of very white, beautifully smooth bone china. But the decoration! The chrysanthemums were painted by

[click the < arrows > to slide!] Today is the first Saturday of October, and where I live it is getting cold now. Mornings are dark, and we are all cozying up in the evening to hide from the wind and the rain. It is the beginning of a season of cozy dinners, and I will bring out a dinner or dessert service each Saturday in the coming period. I've also heard some sighs at the price of some of these... well yes, I have quite a few in my collection that I personally would not be