Nice looking and well made
I was very happy when I received these bowls but sad that I could only get 2 instead of 4, 6, or 8. They are wide and shallow but don't let that fool you. They hold 20 ounces of soup, salad, cereal, dips, or whatever type of food you put in them. I have read some comments about why the bowl looks misshapen and has bumps on the bottom of the bowl. These are no defects. Even though the bowls are manufactured in China, their concept and design is from Italy. Italians love life and nature. They can be perfectionists in a way but also appreciate things that are abstract and not so perfect - as what occurs in nature. If you look at this bowl closely, I mean really study it closely for a minute or two, you will see a pattern emerge. Since the Italians are fond of incorporating still life and nature into their designs, you will begin to realize that this bowl design is that of a flower. A sunflower to be exact. A certain type of sunflower that produces a high yield of sunflower seeds. Do you see it? The center and bottom if the bowl which some had thought of as bumps are actually mini bulbs of sunflower seeds within the main big bulb. As the seeds mature they will spread out within the main bulb and produce what we see and know as sunflower seeds ripe for the picking. Then there is a definite ring around the main bulb itself - which denotes the ending of the bulb and the beginning of the flower petals. This particular type of sunflower has a big bulb and small petals. From the ring to the edge of the bowl you can see what resembles or what are petals of the flower. It is not perfect nor is it supposed to be. That is the beauty of nature - its imperfections. So the entire bowl is a sunflower - very interesting and very abstract. A conversation piece for your dinner guests to be sure. The bowls are a porcelain/clay combo with a baked enamel finish, which makes them durable, microwave, and dishwasher safe. The color is an ivory neutral - I would like to see them manufactured in a pale or mate yellow finish. Like a sunflower. Pricy but worth it for a quality product.