Replacing Keepsake Dinnerplates

July 13, 2008 11:27 AM

I need help replacing Saturnia dinnerware plates and bowls. I am in hot water, and it's not because I'm washing the dishes. We bought these plates on a trip to Italy in 2001. My wife dies a little every time I break one. I've exhausted my google-fu, and registered at replacements.com. Help me somebody?

We bought a set of plates, bowls, and salad plates at the Coop store in Camucia, Arezzo. We both love the pattern, but I think for her it is also the memory of the trip. We are down to just two bowls, three plates, and two saucers. I've written to the manufacturer, who sent me to the wholesaler in NY. They only deal with commercial accounts, and don't import that pattern. We're looking to restore a service for eight. We'd appreciate suggestions. Meanwhile, I'll keep on KP duty.

posted by beelzbubba to home & garden (9 comments total)

perhaps a Mefi in Italy could help you? If the wholesaler doesn't import it, your stateside options are limited.
posted by Megafly at 1:26 PM on July 13, 2008

Well you could always fly back there and have another wonderful trip! :D Ok ok... I'm just saying! ok.. ok, bar that...

Do you know the pattern name?

You can always go to eBay.com and enter Saturnia in the search, see what comes up there. There is one noritaki plate, but... the benefit of an ebay search is you can save it and have it send you an email when something comes up with that keyword. the search will continue for 6 months or a year.
posted by wildpetals at 1:33 PM on July 13, 2008

The pattern is SYA1--I noticed now that this information didn't carry over to the caption of the picture. A few years ago, we thought the happiest solution would be to fly back there, but sadly, eight plates will stretch my budget far enough right now.

I saw the Noritake plate which pattern is Saturnia, but our plates were made by a porcelain dinnerware manufacturer named Saturnia, and they are in Civita Castellano, about 30km from Viterbo.

I do hope a MeFitalia can help.
posted by beelzbubba at 2:34 PM on July 13, 2008

Pattern correction: the correct pattern is Etrusca E16/E7. The other number came from replacements dot com
posted by beelzbubba at 2:55 PM on July 13, 2008

You could try setting up an ebay favorite search. My mom's mid-sixties Italian earthenware (Ernestine) seemed impossible to find until she and I both started favorite searches for it. Now she's collecting like five different Ernestine patterns.
posted by paleography at 4:29 PM on July 13, 2008

I'm sure you've thought of these but: Have you tried locating the coop? If you wrote the manufacturer again, explaining that your dishes were gotten during your romantic once-in-a-lifetime trip to his country, would he maybe break the rules and sell them to you directly? Or, could he tell you of other wholesalers he sells that pattern to in the US?

If he sends them to Houston or the Dallas/Fort Worth area, I'd be glad to give someone here a call and see what can be done.
posted by Houstonian at 5:10 PM on July 13, 2008

I realise this isn't quite what you're looking for but even if you manage, by some miracle, to replace these dishes, you guys need to get everyday (ie breakable) dishes and save these for special occasions. Otherwise you're going to be in the same position in another 5 years.

I love our everyday plates, but no part of my soul dies when I break a dish. I feel differently when we start breaking wedding china, and I can replace that stuff through Replacements.com when I really need to.

However, it seems to me that if replacing this set is really important to you, you need to source a human on the ground for you in or near the Coop store in Camucia, or in Cortona or even Florence to actually go there and ship the dishes.

Alternatively, write to the coop?
posted by DarlingBri at 6:13 PM on July 13, 2008

Thanks for your advice, everyone. Although I've searched on eBay, I guess setting up a favorites search might eventually turn something up.

I did call and write the Co-op store in Camucia and to the Co-op headquarters. (For those who are not familiar, Co-op is one of the largest grocery store chains in Italy, sort of like calling or writing to Albertson's or Kroger, albeit one that is ultimately a producers' cooperative. Yeay, Italy!)

Saturnia Porcellanne has one wholesaler in the US, in NYC (I don't remember where right now), and they were completely less than interested in dealing with the individual customer--although pleasant enough in doing so. Completely understandable. They're looking to sell 100+ place settings at a time. I think if they carried the pattern, they'd find a way. But import a container for one domestic account? Not gonna happen.

Saturnia does not apparently have US wholesalers for their domestic lines. Maybe what I need (and can't seem to get from them directly) is a list of their domestic line retailers in Italy. Surely one of them also sells online, and my problem is solv-ed.
posted by beelzbubba at 5:52 AM on July 14, 2008

There's a retailer of Italian pottery in Santa Barbara, California. I don't believe they carry the brand you're looking for, but the last time I visited there they seemed very knowledgeable and might be able to help.
posted by SteveInMaine at 7:10 AM on July 14, 2008