How do date codes work?

The factory used a sequence of letters and dots. A letter designates a year block, while surrounding dots pinpoint the exact year. From 1891, a dot was added each year around the factory mark. Once a circle of dots was complete, they started adding stars or other symbols.

I inherited a large dinner service displaying painted fruit, but the artist signatures are different on various pieces, why is this?

Painting a large service was a team effort. The factory employed many decorators who specialised in the same fruit subjects to keep up with demand. You often find several different signatures across a single set. One artist might paint the plates while another handled the tureens. They all worked to the same house style.

What does blush ivory mean?

It refers to a specific matte glaze introduced in the 1890s. The finish mimics carved tusks and often features floral sprays.

Some of the plates have a rough unglazed rim on the bottom while others are smooth across the base, why does this happen?

A dry foot rim is standard for most plates. The unglazed ring prevents the piece from sticking to the kiln shelf during firing. Smooth bases often mean the plate was fired on firing spurs. These leave three tiny unglazed pin-marks instead of a whole dry ring. Both methods are typical for factory production.

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Victorian Royal Worcester

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Antique Royal Worcester porcelain spans table services and ornamental cabinet pieces, evolving from soft-paste soapstone wares of the eighteenth century to the gilded and painted bone china of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.