I bought a set of Sango Nova Black stoneware dishes about 3 years ago,
service for 8. Not top of the line or anything, but pretty decent,
nice looking and I got them for half price on a JCPenny clearance
blowout. It's actually the first time I've had a whole 'set' of
dishes that matched. I like them.

They've been wonderful for the 3 years or so, but lately I've been
noticing straight-line glazing cracks on a lot of the plates and much
more severe ones in the bottoms of bowls. These are all definitely
very new- i.e. last six months or less. I don't abuse my dishes, but
I do *use* them every day. This last round of soup-n-sandwiches, I
heard one of the bowls crack when I put hot soup in it. It was in the
cabinet at room temp previously, so it's not like it went from really
cold to really hot. I had done this a zillion times before, but this
time was the zillion-and-oneth. Is this normal and/or acceptable for
stoneware glaze to fracture over time?

I'm not in a hurry to replace them just yet, but if they do start
disintegrating and getting 'dangerous' to use (wouldn't want to
swallow shards or have something shatter and dump hot liquids
everywhere)... What kinds of dishes do you guys have? I've become
somewhat fond of stoneware now, as they are non-reacting and
(normally) easy to care for. Any recommendations for decent everyday-
use stuff that will last awhile when used right? By everyday use I
mean dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, hot food, cold food and
such.

Thanks!

-J