How to Care for Gold-Plated Dinnerware
A gold-plated dinner set is the one people bring out for Christmas, Eid, anniversaries and the first dinner in a new home. It is also the one people are most nervous about using. The gold is not as delicate as it looks, as long as you follow two rules and wash it the right way. This guide covers both, plus how to store a set between occasions, using our new Marley set as the example.
Meet Marley
Marley 24K Gold-Plated Porcelain Dinner Set, $450. Thirty-two pieces of porcelain finished with 24-karat gold plating, a full service for six: dinner plates, dessert plates, cereal bowls, and teacups with saucers for everyone, plus a serving plate and a round salad bowl. Because the cups are part of the set, tea after dinner matches the table.
Rule one: never in the microwave
Gold is a metal. In a microwave, a gold rim or pattern can spark, and the gold can scorch or burn off in seconds. Anything with gold plating, a gold rim or a metallic lustre stays out of the microwave, however thin the line of gold is. Reheat food in another dish, then plate it up.
Rule two: wash by hand, not in the dishwasher
Dishwasher detergent is abrasive and strongly alkaline, and hot cycles wear gold away. It rarely shows after one wash; it happens slowly, so you notice dull patches after a few months of use. Washing a dinner for six by hand takes about ten minutes and keeps the gold bright far longer.
How to wash gold-plated plates by hand
- Scrape and rinse soon after the meal, so food does not dry on and need scrubbing.
- Let hot pieces cool first. A sudden change from hot to cold can crack porcelain.
- Fill the sink with warm, not hot, water and a mild washing-up liquid. Lay a tea towel in the bottom so plates do not knock against the sink.
- Wash one piece at a time with a soft sponge or cloth. No scouring pads, steel wool, the rough side of a sponge or powder cleaners.
- Skip bleach and lemon or citrus detergents, which are harsher on metallic finishes.
- Rinse in warm water and dry straight away with a soft, lint-free towel. Left to air dry, water can spot the gold.
How to store it between occasions
- Put a paper napkin, a felt plate divider or a sheet of kitchen roll between stacked plates, so the base of one plate cannot scratch the gold on the plate below.
- Keep stacks short and lift plates off the top rather than sliding them out.
- Store cups upright, not nested inside each other, where the rims rub.
- Keep the box for a set you use a few times a year. It is the safest place for it in between.
What to set it with
Gold china looks best with one more gold element and plenty of white around it: a white or ivory cloth, candles and gold flatware.
The Gold Versallion Flatware Set and the Gold Royal Salute Flatware Set are $69.99 each, and each one is a service for six, the same as Marley. Bring bread or dessert out on the Gold Ray Tray ($35.99). For more on pairing, read How to Mix Gold Flatware With Dinnerware.
More gold on the table
For a bigger table, Athena ($639.99) is gold-plated bone china: 52 pieces, including a soup tureen and a full tea service. The same care rules apply. We explain every piece in What Comes in a 52-Piece Dinner Set?
Ordering
- Free shipping in Canada on orders over $100. Marley qualifies on its own.
- Free local pickup from our Toronto store.
- Arrives broken? Send us a photo and we will replace it.
See every pattern in Dinnerware Sets.