BRING TO THE TABLE

Heirlooms are meant to be treasured, protected and passed on to future generations. Just like family jewellery which completes a bridal trousseau, porcelain and china tableware forms the backbone of the package. Getting a tea service set from the cousin in the UK during an upcoming wedding has been the norm with most Indian families. But now, you can acquire these must-have ceramics in India itself as brand Wedgwood is available here. If UK’s leading fashion designer Jasper Conran has designed a collection for it, so has Vera Wang, the acclaimed authority in bridal elegance. The label combines modern technology with the ancient skills of throwing, modelling and decorating. Print designs are applied either by meticulous hand-painting or via lithographed designs transferred onto the piece before a second firing. “Each fine china expressive plate requires 36 hours of hand craft by four craftsmen Glamorous Cornucopia tea service; intricately patterned Butterfly Bloom plates ( below left) and takes over three days to make from start to finish,” says Lord Piers Wedgwood. Black Basalt, a beautiful, fine-grained stoneware and Creamware are some of its popular series. So is the Jasperware, which has been produced to look like ancient cameo glass. Its patterns like Charnwood, Kutani Crane and Runnymede Blue have charmed the world for long. The Wedgwood and Bentley pure gold collection, on the other hand, is a showcase of intricate designs. Founded by Josiah Wedgwood in the heart of English Potteries near Stroke-on-Trent, it makes formal fine china tableware, crystal and glass drink ware and ceramics gifts. USP: Products are a mix of traditional classic and contemporary designs. www.wedgwood.co.uk