Try to imagine a world without pottery. This means no plates, no mugs, no cups, no saucers and no bowls from which you eat your cereal. How would we eat out food? Will we be forever drinking from hands in a nearby fountain? Will we be eating packaged food all the time? How clean would our food be if we did eat and drink from our bare hands? How will we cook food without burning our hands? Stoneware is an extremely important element to our survival, without which we are useless and the concept of eating food would not be enjoyable.



However, stoneware has progressed from not just being a survival tool, but a statement on the dinner table to show fashionable taste or informal quirky accessories. Since humans first started walking the earth, it is evident that we have needed the tools to transport, carry and consume food. Simple tableware and dinner sets have provided historical evidence of our human evolution, how we have gone from being mere survivors to developed intellectual beings.

Tableware, dinner sets and stoneware are nothing like what they were thousands of years ago, when they were first created since the beginning of time. They were made especially for handling food, drinking water and keeping our food protected from any dirt, germs and infections. This was a big step into human development, as early man had used their hands to predominantly handle and carry food around, this would have proven more difficult when drinking water.

The art of free hand painting pottery and fine china has been around many hundreds of years. Designing these tools was a way of brightening up the way we eat and making things more interesting. Some ancient relics have included pictures, which depict famous figures, possibly leaders, as a way of recording history. Most of these artefacts are primarily kept in museums to preserve its historical value.

All stoneware has a high value concerning the understanding of our evolutionary make-up. How we developed from our survival instincts, to gaining an understanding for holding valuable information. Our creativity skills had developed as the shapes, sizes and designs of each pottery differed making them unique. This in turn became a source for people to make money from, as it became a necessary tool for everyone to use for survival and for normal daily everyday uses.

In the past, during the Elizabethan and Victorian period, the wealthy were able to afford fine china, silverware, porcelain and intricately designed tableware. This was a symbolism of their power and status, as many of the materials were not readily available to the public. Many of the poorer classes were left with wooden or metal dishware.

In our modern world today, it matters more on what the actual tableware looks like than how well it serves our food. Some stoneware products are purchased mainly for its aesthetic appeal, rather than its general use for storing foods or liquids. Many people opt for simpler styles and colours that appear chic and modern on the dinner table. Top restaurants avoid using bold colours and play it safe using plain white plates and bowls (many of which are in unusual shapes).