nobody wants your crystal and china. no matter how much you love it there really isnt a big secondary market for stolen china. display away.

Drapes, alarm system, reality check. Crime is way down from 40 years ago, despite the impression you might get from the 24-hour news media.

My last house was in one of the safest neighborhoods in my state, but occasional break-ins still happened. Most motivated not by china but by petty theft of any cash lying around. I don't even know if I'd call them break-ins, as so many people felt safe enough they'd leave the doors unlocked all the time.

I'd go ahead and display away, while focusing on anti-theft deterrents. Most important thing you can do change the locks, keep your doors locked even when at home, trim the bushes and hedges around your doors and windows, install motion sensor lights, build strong relationships with your neighbors, and install shades or curtains on your garage doors (so thieves can't see whether you are home or not). A fake alarm system sticker can help. As can a big bark-y dog.

While I agree with the comments above that no one is likely to STEAL your china or crystal, there is no accounting for what they might steal if they break in. My home was broken into about 2 years ago and they stole among other things my childhood rock collection! The police said they thought it might be because it was in a small display case so the crook probably thought it had value. I'm aware of people who are literally giving away entire sets of fine china that belonged to their grandmother or whoever because they don't want the hassle of caring for it and always use paper plates when they have company.

I say display your china and crystal in whatever way makes you happy. However, once you move in, hire a bonded locksmith to come in and do a security check of your new place. Not only can he rekey all your locks so that no prior resident has the current keys, but most of them can also recommend security companies for alarm systems or other things that may make your home more secure.

Identify the most likely points of entry for burglars and make sure you have them properly secured. Take photos/video of your belongings once you have them on display - I found out the hard way that sometimes if you have something on display you tend to forget about it and when you have to report it to your insurance company as stolen it can be a pain to remember exactly WHAT you had on display in that bookshelf behind the sofa. Work with your home/renters insurance company to be sure your policy is up to date and will cover the replacement value of what you own. Many people are under-insured because they accumulate stuff over time but never update their insurance policies.

One other suggestion - if you do display your collection of breakables, make sure that the cabinetry and shelving used for the purpose is capable of supporting it. I have a close friend who lost her entire china cabinet full of fine china because the vibrations from construction near her home caused the glass shelving in her china cabinet to break creating a cascade that shattered everything as the things from upper shelves fell onto items on lower shelves. Even if you don't live in earthquake country get some Quakehold which will prevent the accidental knocking of things off display shelves.