Do you replace precious items broken or lost?

The only things I treasure, a couple of paintings & some hand written pieces could never be replaced. Everything else either makes me happy or not but I wouldn't regret losing or breaking these things beyond the cost of replacing them.
Oh, just remembered a tree that has moved house with me about ten times which my dearest Dad grew for me from a cutting when my daughter was born!

Attempting to give excess away, we don't replace. Our daughters have their wished for useless tat, crockery, and glassware from our mums and me. They've really not made much progress towards that which will go to the skip.

What we have will more than see us out.

Deedaa, I had a look at the Alessi kettle, and love it! Whew, expensive though! It would look nice in any kitchen.

I went ahead and found two on ebay for $68, which is about 37 GBP, and amount I wasn't horrified with. Hopefully they arrive in one piece! So that will give me 3, but perhaps I will treat myself again at a later date.

These are well used old-fashioned tumblers, my grandson always insists on using one at family dinners, as does my DH since he doesn't like a stemmed wineglass.

This same grandson found a brown betty teapot in a charity shop to replace mine which had a big chip in the spout. He appreciates that we can be attached to items!

In the past I have sighed when things were broken or lost, but don't always feel the need to replace them. I guess if something gives us pleasure, and we can afford to replace it, then go for it.

CanadianGran

Deedaa, I had a look at the Alessi kettle, and love it! Whew, expensive though! It would look nice in any kitchen.

I went ahead and found two on ebay for $68, which is about 37 GBP, and amount I wasn't horrified with. Hopefully they arrive in one piece! So that will give me 3, but perhaps I will treat myself again at a later date.

These are well used old-fashioned tumblers, my grandson always insists on using one at family dinners, as does my DH since he doesn't like a stemmed wineglass.

This same grandson found a brown betty teapot in a charity shop to replace mine which had a big chip in the spout. He appreciates that we can be attached to items!

In the past I have sighed when things were broken or lost, but don't always feel the need to replace them. I guess if something gives us pleasure, and we can afford to replace it, then go for it.

Well done CanadianGran. 👏

Sadgrandma

Sadly I don’t think our AC or GC will want our ornaments or crockery/glassware after we’ve gone. I decided to have a clear out and I asked my DD to tell me what she would like to keep after I’ve gone and she said there was nothing she would want!
Therefore I don’t think it is worth replacing anything unless they will give you pleasure as I think they’ll only end up in a charity shop.

Same here, isn't it sad though to think of all our trinkets that have meant so much, just got rid of ?Things passed from Grandparents etc , carefully saved, wrapped like babies during house moves, carefully kept on a high shelf away from toddlers and pets, just to be discarded, I find it really sad.

Rocketstop i think you have answered your own question, because all your trinkets etc have been wrapped up and hidden away, your children have no familiarity with them and rarely ever seen them.

For children to want to keep things, they need to know them, remember them, of being allowed to touch and hold them while beng told about your memories of them.

Our family are, almost genetically, second hand roses. If we want anything we instinctively start down the secondhand trail and so do our children. We have just moved house. DS was here last weekend and disappeared home with a rug I was very fond of, but have no space for. I have already handed on to my DGD several rings I had. DD has also taken ornaments that she remembers in her grandmother's house.

People do not buy china from charity shops unless they are dishwasher friendly . I never use my good tea sets as we drink from mugs and my fancy dinner set does not fit in the dishwasher. I sold my Royal Albert tea and coffee set , used once for my daughter christening in 1969 , and gave the proceeds to charity.

When I was still at school in the early 70s I worked weekends and holidays in a gift shop. We stocked the full range of Toni Raymond pottery which was based in Torquay, Devon.

I bought a couple of tiny bits like a mint sauce jug and a door plaque for my bedroom. The designs were bright and cheerful with black lettering saying what they were for eg Celery, Beetroot, Spring Onions. Many years later I noticed a jug was cracked so I bought another at a car boot sale and then got rather addicted and bought loads more. It is now quite collectable.

People do not buy china from charity shops unless they are dishwasher friendly
This is why.

Primrose53

When I was still at school in the early 70s I worked weekends and holidays in a gift shop. We stocked the full range of Toni Raymond pottery which was based in Torquay, Devon.

I bought a couple of tiny bits like a mint sauce jug and a door plaque for my bedroom. The designs were bright and cheerful with black lettering saying what they were for eg Celery, Beetroot, Spring Onions. Many years later I noticed a jug was cracked so I bought another at a car boot sale and then got rather addicted and bought loads more. It is now quite collectable.

😲

Oh, I sent my pickled onion jar to the charity shop!
I hope someone bought it and loves it.

I am putting nearly all my china in the dishwasher now and have moved some of it into the kitchen for everyday use... I'd rather use it and have the pattern wash off than never see it.

I admit, I don't use the gravy boat a lot - or my enormous chargers!

NotSpaghetti

I am putting nearly all my china in the dishwasher now and have moved some of it into the kitchen for everyday use... I'd rather use it and have the pattern wash off than never see it.

I admit, I don't use the gravy boat a lot - or my enormous chargers!

My parents gave us a dinner and tea service, not as a wedding gift but afterwards because Mum realised that we hadn't been given a dinner service as a wedding gift.
I did put them in the dishwasher after we had one and yes, the pattern came off and eventually many bits got broken but it was well used and loved over all those years.

Exactly Allira
Well loved.

Apart from the dishwasher problem, some of the lovely old crockery has gold embellishments, and so can't be used in a microwave.

Maremia

Apart from the dishwasher problem, some of the lovely old crockery has gold embellishments, and so can't be used in a microwave.

My modern best china dinner service has a silver rim.
I dud realise that when I picked it.

I agree Calendar girl, I love to see my dining table room set with my china bought 30 years ago.
I am not too much in favour of the big open plan.

I use all my crockery etc and don’t replace it like - for -like when the inevitable breakages happen. I look around for a practical replacement if necessary.

Why? Because we cleared my MiL’s house of mountains of crockery and trinkets.
My mum has lots of ornaments, each one precious to her and each has its own story attached.
I take the view that they are her memories and stories of her friends, not mine, so no sentiment attached.

I've lost so many things after my family passed away 10 years ago due to fact I did not have enough room to bring them home. Now if I break or lose anything I feel well detached and move on.

petra

Grannynannywanny
I’ve been sorting donations in a charity shop for 10 years. We have to dump these tea/ dinner services all the time. We don’t enjoy doing it but there’s only so much room to show them.
Added to that we have to pay for our skip to be emptied.

My mother loved the Wedgwood china that she used for most of her married life. Before she died she asked me to be sure to sell it. Sadly I couldn't as all the replacement china dealers told me that there was no demand for it, but some pieces went to her local WI, some to a local clubroom, and the rest to a charity shop.
We once had a burglary and I tried to buy a replacement necklace but it was not nearly such good quality as the original and I eventually sold it and bought something entirely different. I think that if we were ever to be robbed again I'd buy completly different things.

I had a vase bought for me my now deceased sister.
I caught it whilst closing the curtains, it fell & the bottom smashed. I was really upset so phoned the shop up in Iron bridge to see if they had a replacement- no!
So still, it sits on the window sill.
I can’t bare to part with it.

I put some things away over Christmas to put out decorations. One of them was a Swarovski butterfly given to me by one of my children.
Somehow when I took it out of the box after Christmas it was broken. I could try to fix it but it is quite fragile and in several pieces so I looked on eBay and there are some for sale and not very expensive. I think I might just buy one.

MT62

I had a vase bought for me my now deceased sister.
I caught it whilst closing the curtains, it fell & the bottom smashed. I was really upset so phoned the shop up in Iron bridge to see if they had a replacement- no!
So still, it sits on the window sill.
I can’t bare to part with it.

MT62. have you thought of this traditional way of repair?
Then the break becomes part of the history of the piece.
You can have it done or buy a kit and do it yourself.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/326qTYw26156P9k92v8zr3C/broken-a-pot-copy-the-japanese-and-fix-it-with-gold

A few years back late DH bought me some beautiful diamond stud ear-rings, and a few months after he died I lost one - I was heartbroken and searched high and low to no avail.
Eventually I claimed on my house insurance and it was replaced with an identical match.

About a year later DGD2 was playing here and found it - stuck between the carpet and the skirting board! I let the insurance company know (as you should do,) and they said to keep it as a spare.

I have also smashed a few of my lovely Dartington wine glasses, always replaced them, and also broke a Danish glass dessert bowl, which is irreplaceable, being over 50 years old and no longer made. We.thought they were extravagant and expensive when we bought them, paying £16 for the set of 4 in about 1973!

BlueSapphire

A few years back late DH bought me some beautiful diamond stud ear-rings, and a few months after he died I lost one - I was heartbroken and searched high and low to no avail.
Eventually I claimed on my house insurance and it was replaced with an identical match.

About a year later DGD2 was playing here and found it - stuck between the carpet and the skirting board! I let the insurance company know (as you should do,) and they said to keep it as a spare.

I have also smashed a few of my lovely Dartington wine glasses, always replaced them, and also broke a Danish glass dessert bowl, which is irreplaceable, being over 50 years old and no longer made. We.thought they were extravagant and expensive when we bought them, paying £16 for the set of 4 in about 1973!

What is the make of your dessert bowl Blue Sapphire?
I have all my wedding presents and never broken any. Glasses, crockery, cutlery bowls it is all Danish. We have lived in most of our lives so not really used any of it much. Now I am trying to get rid of it in particular my Atlanti Holmegaard glasses. I am selling hem on Vinted and only have the 50ml and 25ml sizes left. The rest have gone. I have just kept 6 of each of the wine and beer glasses. We had 24 of each originally. I live on my own now and never enteVinted although you only get peanuts for it all. The only thing I have replaced is my wedding ring which went down he drain. The insurance company had one done for me in Hatton garden as that too was Danish design and 24 carrot Gold. Sadly it is not identically but nice. However the sentimental value has totally gone as you will understand.

Sadly, I lost my engagement ring on holiday about 7 years ago. I was absolutely heartbroken as I hadn't noticed I wasn't wearing it and had no idea exactly when it disappeared. I suspect it was whilst I was in the sea. The annoying thing is that I knew it was a bit loose and was intending to take it to the jeweller to be made smaller when we got back. I did get another ring and deliberately chose one completely different to my engagement ring which of course I could never replace. The new one is just a ring, I'm not sentimentally attached to it. On another note, we had house sitters recently who broke 2 Emma Bridgwater mugs and then lied about it and tried to hismde the evidence. Both had been presents and I was very attached to them. I did buy 2 new ones but totally different designs - again, I couldn't really replace 2 gifts. Just to say - we've had a number of housesitters over the years and, til the last pair, we'd always had lovely people. They were something else!