Translucent tea set

Conversely it can be said that the piece comes from the Meiji period (1868-1913) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_period I'm pretty suspicious of pieces of "old Japaneese pieces" that are unmarked. It is fair to say that the Japaneese were sensitive to the origion of the piece geographically, time it was created, and thus who created the piece. It was not really socialy acceptable for the craftsman to signature pieces, but the marks did essentially that. My assumption that the piece was early Meiji is in the fact that the mark did not accompany an "export mark" which Japan starting to enter into in this period. The subsequent mark style that "generally" followed was the "Rising sun" Nippon mark and is "typically" credited with Noritake. Irrespective, these pieces when in good condition and large sets of pieces establish a distinct level of quality and craftsmanship that other potteries and craftsman stand in comparrison and contrast today. Yes those pieces were delicate, but only a "barbarian" had a difficulty with that fact. http://www.schoenwald.com/eng/unternehmen/historie.htm?nav=20&l=E "Schönwald took a different approach. The company only strengthened certain ‘problem areas’ of the tableware (e.g. handles). Not only were the newly created shapes revolutionary, but also the philosophy behind them." Some of the old schonwald pieces demonstrate the fact that china has become heavier and larger than what it once was. It is interesting to see the size increase of the serving bowls get larger as the US economy elected to "supersize" their servings. When you look at modern pieces at Walmart today you essentially see "concrete" that is formed with metal dies, conveyor fed to kiln, glazed, sprayed, and refired to finish. In today's economy it would be difficult if not impossible to create what you own. I enjoy a nice set of china and hope that you use your pieces carefully. I think that they should be used if possible and should be shared with good company. If some of the pieces have minor damage you might solicit a professional to advise on repair. But really in today's world pieces such as these are rare. Nice of you to share the piece and demonstrate the transluscene in the photograph. P.S, I like looking at early glass under a black-light as well.