Vintage Royal Albert Val D'Or Teacup & Saucer – 22K Gold Teardrops on White Bone China, Hampton Shape, Wedding Gift, England 1960s

Pure white bone china and a wreath of pure gold — that is the whole composition, and that is the point. Eighteen hand-applied gilt teardrops curve around the saucer in a single quiet circle; eighteen more lift along the waist of the cup, catching the light as the cup is turned. No flowers, no scrolls, no overlap. Royal Albert called the pattern Val D'Or — Valley of Gold — and used it for half a century as the brand's expression of quiet luxury.

Founded in 1896 and granted a Royal Warrant by Edward VII in 1904, Royal Albert is best known for its rose-painted classics. Val D'Or is the deliberate counterweight: the same Hampton corset cup, the same 22K gilt, but no painted decoration at all. The pattern was launched in the early 1960s and stayed in the catalogue into the 1990s — long enough that it became the anniversary cup, particularly for the Golden Anniversary at fifty years. A piece given, kept, lifted off the shelf each year, washed by hand, returned.

The cup itself is a study in gold against white. The Hampton shape — corset waist, soft vertical relief, scalloped rim, high pedestal foot finished in a solid gilt band — gives the gold somewhere to live. The teardrops are not transfer-printed flat; they are slightly raised, painted by hand and fired in. Run a fingertip across the cup's waist and you can feel each one. The matching saucer is wavy-edged with the gilt teardrop wreath set into a shallow, embossed well.

• Type: Teacup & Saucer Set
• Maker: Royal Albert, England
• Era: Circa 1960s–1980s
• Pattern: Val D'Or — gilt teardrop wreath on white bone china
• Shape: Hampton — corset cup with embossed ribbing, scalloped saucer
• Size: Cup 3" / 7.6 cm tall × 3.5" / 8.9 cm wide; Saucer 5.5" / 14 cm
• Material: Fine Bone China
• Decoration: Hand-applied 22K gilt teardrops, gilt rim, foot, and handle
• Markings: Royal Albert crowned red stamp, "Val D'Or, Bone China, Made in England"

Condition
Excellent vintage condition. White ground is clean and bright; all 18 saucer teardrops and 18 cup teardrops are present and crisply formed. Gilt on the rims, foot, and handle remains rich and bright with no rub-through. No chips, cracks, hairlines, crazing, or repairs on either piece. Please review all photos as part of the condition record.

Ships carefully packed from Canada. Combined shipping available.
Questions welcome — happy to provide additional photos.

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