(pronunciation: as spelled, German first name Franz)
Location: headquarters in San Francisco, research center in Taipei, manufactured in mainland China.
Representative offices in the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand.
The porcelains produced by this company are beautifully made, unique in design and reflect a love of nature in all its forms: animal, bird, insect, flowers, trees and underwater residents. The designers and makers use a subtle and deft touch to produce delicate, detailed pieces with a smooth, barely matte surface. The basic form of a tea cup or vase is transformed into a sculpture of creatures in their normal habitat. Tea sets with various pieces (cup, saucer, spoon, tea pot, sugar, creamer, tray, serving plates, vase and centerpiece) are produced in various themes, like toucans, monkeys or goldfish.
My opinion: Very delicate, beautiful, reasonably priced. Severely chastise anyone even thinking of using the objects. Look but do not touch.
Product lines:
Tableware: Cup and saucer sets, decorative plates, tea sets, stemware, napkin rings, cake knives, salt & pepper sets, snack plates. Some fairly simple, others quite ornate.
Decorative accents: perfume bottles, vases, picture frames, candle holders, centerpieces, limited edition fashion figures, limited edition designer line.
Jewelry: simply formed flowers or a single frog on a leaf or seashells, then increasingly ornate and complicated pieces. The porcelain parts of the jewelry is combined with precious metals.
Kathy Ireland Home: usually a tea pot cup saucer and spoon, with some of the following: sugar and creamer, small serving plates, decorative pieces, and occasionally a tray.
Nativity Set: the usual figures.
Christmas ornaments
My favorites: By The Sea (including most expensive piece at $1,500), Spa Gingko and Phoenician Flight.
Prices:
teapots: $88 to $200
vases: $45 to $475, varying by size and complexity
spoons: $15
cup and saucer: $85 to $137
cup, saucer and spoon: $90 to $124
Nativity: $25 to $53 for each figure
jewelry: $30 to $100
The Franz porcelains are available at finer department stores, gift shops and home decor businesses. The company web site can help you find a retail store.
The porcelain are available at a discount from some venues.
Secondary market: if purchased at 80% of list price, will retain value pretty well.
Franz has imitators, so check for the makers mark. The imitations I have seen are nice enough, but not quite as subtle as Franz.
Collector’s Society: None mentioned.
The official company site is: http://www.franzcollection.com/
History
Franz was established in San Francisco in 2002. The porcelains are designed to be functional, lead-free, FDA approved and microwave safe. The founders vision is to revive the porcelain industry of China using designs from nature: birds, flowers, insects, turtles, and animals. The line also includes some human figures, as in the ballerina set.
The designs are in a clean style reminiscent of Oriental design and with a touch of Art Nouveau. The finest clay and glazes are used. The process includes forming the various parts of the design, painting with under glazes incorporating color, application of a fine clear over-glaze, and over-glaze painting as needed to complete the piece.
Birds modeled in Franz porcelain pieces: hummingbirds, toucans, macaws, chickadees, peacocks, swans, flamingos, cranes.
Flowers: lilies, azaleas, magnolias, cherry blossoms, dogwood, hibiscus, poinsettias, orchids, poppies, tulips, lotus, pansies.
Insects: butterflies, beetles, dragonflies, lady bugs.
Animals: giraffes, monkeys, elephants, dolphins, pandas
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