Caring for Herend China

Is Herend dishwasher safe?

Paris Tableware's advice, given in its store FAQ, is to wash Herend by hand. The reason is how the decoration is made. According to Herend's description of its technology, the glaze is fired at roughly 1,400°C, close to 2,550°F. Paint and real gold are applied afterward and fused in a later, cooler firing of roughly 800°C, close to 1,470°F. That outer layer of color and metal is what hot water, strong detergent and the jostling of a dishwasher rack wear down over time, and gold lines show it first.

Washing by hand, step by step

1. Lay a towel or a rubber mat in the bottom of the sink, so a piece that slips lands softly.
2. Fill the sink with warm, not hot, water and a little mild liquid dish soap. Leave out scouring pads, abrasive powders and lemon-scented cleaners.
3. Wash two or three pieces at a time rather than piling a stack into the water.
4. Hold a cup by its body, not its handle, while you wash it.
5. Rinse in water of the same temperature, then dry each piece with a soft, lint-free towel before it goes back in the cabinet.

Two habits protect the painting: don't leave food sitting on a painted plate overnight, and don't move porcelain straight from hot to cold or the reverse.

Gold and platinum trim

• No microwave. Gold and platinum are metals and can arc in a microwave oven, so a trimmed piece never goes in, even for a few seconds.
• No oven warming. Warm plates under running warm water if you like them warm, and never put a cold plate into a hot oven.
• A soft touch. Wipe gold lines with a soft sponge or cloth. Anything abrasive scratches them.

Golden Edge and Platinum Edge, the two plainest Herend patterns, need exactly the same care as the painted ones, because their only decoration is the metal.

Storing and displaying Herend

• Keep each plate size in its own stack, with felt or paper between neighbors. The bare ring on the underside of a plate is rough enough to scratch the painting below it.
• Keep stacks low so the bottom plate does not carry the weight of a whole service.
• Stand cups side by side instead of nesting them, and don't hang fine cups from hooks by their handles.
• Put a soft cloth between a teapot or sugar bowl and its lid.
• On display, use plate stands with padded grips, on shelves away from doors that swing.

What the base of a Herend piece tells you

Turn a piece over and you will usually find three things: Herend's factory mark, a shape number and a short letter code for the decoration. The Herend Porcelain Guide at Paris Tableware describes the same layout. The letter codes match the item numbers Paris Tableware lists for each piece, so the base is the quickest way to identify a pattern you inherited or to order a replacement.

On the base, dashes and spacing can differ from the item number, so compare the letters and digits. In the item numbers, the five-digit shape is followed by a part digit (1 for a saucer, 2 for a cup, 0 for most other pieces) and a two-digit variation, such as the Rothschild Bird motif or the knob on a lid.

Marks can be faked, so treat the base as one check among several. Buying secondhand, ask the seller to photograph the underside as well as the painted side, and confirm the letters belong to the pattern you are being offered.

Paris Tableware sells new Herend china only. It does not appraise, value or buy older pieces, so reading the base is something you do yourself, with the table above as your key.

When a piece breaks

1. Hold on to the broken pieces, the base above all, until you have found a match.
2. Read the decor code and shape number from the base, as described above. For Rothschild Bird, also note which of the twelve motifs the piece shows.
3. Search the store. Because Paris Tableware sells Herend by the piece, a lone dinner plate or saucer can be bought on its own. Begin with Herend dinnerware.
4. Not listed? Search paristableware.com by the pattern name and the kind of piece as well. If it still isn't there, email info@paristableware.com with the decor code, the shape number and the piece you need. Paris Tableware orders from the manufacturer, so it can often get a piece that isn't on its website.

The store sells replacements but does no repairs. If the broken piece matters for its history, a porcelain conservator may be able to mend it; look at examples of their work on painted china before you hand it over.