At Jean Elton Studio, we work exclusively with stoneware and have for over 30 years. We love stoneware because of its durability in every day use, as well as the ability to dress it up for more formal table settings.Stoneware is so durable because it is made with clay and then fired at very high temperatures. We fire our pieces at over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit! Like its name implies, the resulting material is like stone: hard to break and waterproof. Many of the dinnerware that you can buy at big box stores are made of another type of porcelain dinnerware and tend to break more easily. Like Lois says, "While we believe they are of better quality, safer, and better designed than many of the imports currently available in the marketplace, we hope you will want to own them because you love the way they look and feel!"On a personal note, as the daughter of "Jean" and "Elton", I grew up using their stoneware dishes. In my nearly 30 years of interacting, using, cooking with, and cleaning their dinnerware, I have only ever broken one bowl! And on that occasion, I had mistakenly slammed it against the dishwasher as I was unloading it. I can testify that, as well as being beautiful, their products are durable and will last years and years.