My Lifelong Obsession with Luminarc: 20 Years of Ups and Downs

I've been hooked on Luminarc for over 20 years, and it all started when I picked up a set back in the late 90s. I'd been dreaming of it for ages!

I got this set in Kazakhstan for 4,000 tenge - a price that's almost laughable now. A lot's changed since then. The first things to go were the cups - my little ones back then were always getting into things and testing the dishes' durability. And this one was particularly prone to breaking into tiny pieces. Not that it broke often, but it fell a lot! Thankfully, it didn't break often. Fast-forward to many years later, and it's got some serious scratches on it,but it still looks pretty good. I passed this set on to my relatives in 2015, who were moving into a rented apartment, and it's still serving them well. I kept the salad bowls, a small vase, and a plate that survived from the original six. And the tea cups – I've got five left out of the original set!I just couldn't find anything like them in new dishes. In 2009, I got tired of my brown dishes and wanted something brighter, so this set moved to the dacha, and we bought a new set of Luminarc dishes. We used this set for four years as a family, then passed it on to my daughter, and now it's serving her. We also got a great set of larger glasses to go with it, which you can see in the photos. The herb-patterned set is still in great condition, but the only downside is that the design fades over time.

The cups are scratched and a bit cloudy. You might not notice it from the photo, but unfortunately, it's true. In 2015, I got my new Luminarc set with daisies as a gift. This is our third set. Here it is:

It's a set of 19 pieces, including second-tier plates, two types of first-course plates, and a large serving dish. I bought the cups separately, and unfortunately, I couldn't find any additional pieces. I really needed salad bowls, vases, and small plates. (Although, after looking at the state of the dishes, I'm starting to doubt whether I need them if I'll be replacing them soon...) This year, it's been five years since I got it. And just recently, I lost a plate... Sorry for the dirty photo, there was my son's mashed potatoes on it. The cup fell on it, and it's still intact! And what I noticed is that the shards aren't as sharp as the ones from the first set. I've been suspecting that Luminarc isn't what it used to be. And the broken plate kind of confirmed my suspicions. Ugh, the dishes in our house rarely get broken, and it's not because of Luminarc - we're just careful and cautious! And in five years, this is the first time a cup has fallen, and the plate wasn't so lucky. So, why did I suspect that Luminarc isn't what it used to be? The design on the dishes becomes a bit more transparent over time.. It's still there, and it doesn't fade much, but it's just not the same as it was initially... And there are also chips on the plates, which is weird.. And the scratches are pretty noticeable...

I'm torn on how to rate this thing - honestly, I'd give it 5 stars for the first one, 4 for the second, but for the third... I'm not sure I'd even give it 3. I'm going to settle on 4 and recommend it, but ultimately, it's up to each person to decide if it's worth buying or not.