Well this has been quite a year....! I want to thank all my customers and followers, both on this blog and on Instagram, for your continuous engagement and, in many cases, orders. Whether you buy my porcelain or just enjoy the pictures and stories, I love the way so many people respond and interact, and the sense of community that has grown these last few years. When I envisioned this business when I woke up one early morning now several years ago, this was what I had in mind

It's nearly Christmas and things are heating up here at Gentle Rattle of China - boxes, boxes, and more boxes are piling up waiting for the couriers to take them to my lovely customers! 🎁📦🎁📦🎁📦🎁 So although today I am giving you some beautiful pictures of exciting new stock I have in, I am going to write about more boring, but important things... To avoid the worst of the shipping chaos that usually occurs around the holidays, I will still be shipping international

These days many of us have to do the holidays in very small gatherings of two or three... but we can always dream of a full dinner table! And with the end of the pandemic in sight, we can plan for a wonderful Easter. So this week I am bringing together all the wonderful dessert services that currently reside in my stock room (and there are more than the nine in this picture). I love each and every one of them, in all their different ways. I stock dessert services that I truly

This week I am showing two very special pieces of antique porcelain: a sublimely made candy box with cover and a little vase, created by George Owen at Royal Worcester in the year 1909. George Owen was one of the greatest artists at Royal Worcester. He was a modeller with a truly unique skill of reticulating (piercing) extremely fine decorative pieces. While there were other modellers with this skill, no one was able to work to Owen's standard and his pieces stand out in perf

I have a special place in my heart for orphans - who doesn't? 💕 Orphaned cups keep finding their way to me; as left overs from larger sets, as part of mixed lots, or sometimes I come across one sitting there lonely and I can't resist. Usually these little cups have been part of a "trio" of a teacup and a coffee cup sharing one saucer. And even though they've lost their siblings, they are still wonderful both for use and display. Most little coffee cups hold just one double e

Do you feel this has been a very long year? And too fast at the same time? It is amazing how my sense of time has been confused by being at home so much, not travelling to see my loved ones, fretting about politics and the economy... but the holidays are coming up soon and whether we will be able to come together or not, we can certainly send each other some very special gifts. So to finish a Long Year in style, let's make the most of it and find a way to express our love and

Here in the UK we are back into lockdown and although this is not a surprise, we all feel a little depressed about it. We really didn't want to go into the winter with this dark cloud hanging over us... but then there is always beauty, and we can make our homes beautiful! I guess this is why so many of my followers and customers love early 19th Century plates. They are absolutely gorgeous, have been made with so much care, are great on display as well as for use, and they don

I have shown many very valuable items lately - but that doesn't mean I don't offer any smaller items that would make perfect gifts for porcelain lovers or collectors. In fact, as the world is facing a dark winter without the ability to travel to see our loved ones, why not buy a gift for yourself as well - as we are having to spend most of our time at home, a piece of beautiful porcelain can make all the difference (I'm speaking from experience!). So yes, although I have late

It's autumn here and the colours are wonderful! After weeks of rain and greyness, suddenly everything has turned yellow, orange and red and we are rewarded with the beauty of autumn. My garden is full of dahlias and you can buy chrysanthemums everywhere. So today I am showing you some Wedgwood chrysanthemums! This beautiful part dessert service was first designed in 1808 by Wedgwood, and it is a copy of an East Asian "Chinoiserie" design - actually the details look mostly Jap

This beautiful meat platter is already on its way to a happy customer, but there is an interesting story with it - and it is a gorgeous platter that deserves to be shown! And someone is going to be dining like an emperor - quite literally 👑🍽️⁠ This very striking meat platter is historically important; you will notice the armorial detail in the centre. It is the Collar and Medallion of the Imperial Brazilian Order of the Rose with the motto "Amor e Fidelidad", which means 'L