The cake stand that makes a cake an occasion.

Jadeite, the pale green milk glass of mid-century diners and farmhouse kitchens, is the look most people picture when they think of a cake stand. This one is 11 inches across, handmade from jadeite milk glass with a ruffled edge and a high-gloss finish, and sized for a 9 inch cake.

The green sets off white frosting, chocolate and fruit tarts alike, and the ruffle catches crumbs that would otherwise land on the table. It is the best looking stand in this guide for the price, and it works on a kitchen counter as well as a dining table.

Skip it if you want a dome; this model comes without one. Highbrook sells a 10 inch jadeite stand with a glass dome for about $50, sized for cakes up to 8.5 inches.

The Ridgehaven is a thick slab of veined marble, 11 inches across, with a domed glass lid that fits over a 9 inch cake. Marble has a naturally cool surface, which suits buttercream and cheese, and the weight keeps it steady while a slice is cut.

The dome is what makes it earn its place. A cake keeps under glass on the counter for a couple of days, visible and protected, and the same stand holds cheese at the end of a dinner party or a stack of cookies through the holidays.

Skip it if the dishwasher is how things get clean. Marble is hand wash only, and it can stain from fruit juice or red wine left sitting.

Lenox's French Perle is stoneware with a scalloped rim and a hand-applied tea stain finish that softens the white. The medium cake plate is 10.5 inches across and 5 inches high, tall enough to read as a proper pedestal and wide enough for an 8 or 9 inch cake.

What makes it the one to buy is the practical side. It is dishwasher and microwave safe, which few decorative stands are, and Lenox backs French Perle with a lifetime breakage replacement program. That takes the anxiety out of using it every week rather than twice a year.

Skip it if the kitchen is modern and spare. The scallops and tea stain lean French country; the Villeroy & Boch below is the cleaner white.

Libbey is the Ohio glassmaker best known for restaurant glassware, and the Selene stand is a two-piece set: a clear footed stand and a curved glass dome. Clear glass is the most versatile choice here. It goes with any dinnerware and puts all the attention on what sits on it.

The dome gives a full view of the cake and keeps it fresh on the counter. The Selene shapes are part of a wider line of Libbey serveware, so a matching bowl or platter is easy to add.

Skip it if you want dishwasher convenience. Libbey advises hand washing, and a large glass dome is awkward in a sink. It also shows every fingerprint.

For Me is Villeroy & Boch's plain white porcelain collection, known for its wide rims and little else in the way of ornament. The cake plate on stand carries that shape onto a foot, and it is dishwasher safe, so it can be used as often as it deserves.

Porcelain is thinner and whiter than stoneware, and a white stand shows off every kind of cake, from a dark chocolate torte to a pale lemon sponge. It matches the For Me platters and plates if you already own the pattern, and it sits happily with other white dinnerware if you do not.

Skip it if you want a dome. It is sold on its own, and you will need to find a cloche that fits the rim.

Berry & Thread is one of Juliska's best known patterns: a raised border of berries and twisted thread, in a whitewash glaze that looks hand finished because it is. The 14 inch stand is made in Portugal, each piece individually signed, and stands 4.75 inches high.

At 14 inches it is the largest stand here, big enough for a layer cake with room for candles and a knife, or a whole spread of pastries at brunch. It is lead-free stoneware and unusually tough: Juliska rates it for the dishwasher (avoiding high heat), freezer, microwave and oven to 500°F.

Juliska designs it to pair with its glass cake domes, sold separately. Skip it if storage is tight; a 14 inch pedestal needs a real shelf.