Famiware Meteor 18-Piece Stoneware Dinnerware Set

Lift a plate from the stack with one hand, and the weight announces itself before your fingers settle. That mass is the result of stoneware fired until the clay turns dense and nonporous. It is the weight of a piece built to serve a full table, and you feel it in every transfer from cupboard to counter.

What the weight costs you is in the handling. Stoneware is hard, and hard means brittle at the rim. A knock against a sink edge leaves a pale chip that never comes back. So load the dishwasher by all means, the pack says it is safe, but carry plates single-file and give the edges room.