How can I (37F) tell my husband (38M) that he's not allowed to use his deceased grandmother's china?

Yes, this makes me an asshole. I get it. I still want to open this up for discussion with him.

My husband's grandma had a set of antique china that she painstakingly collected over her lifetime. It's beautiful, and one of the last times I saw her she told me how sad she was that she had nobody to leave it to who would appreciate it. I said that I was sure one of her other relatives would love it, but that if she wanted to leave it to me I would absolutely cherish it. I was worried that it was inappropriate to say that, but she seemed thrilled and packed it up for me that same day. That was five years ago.

My husband and I do not agree on how this tea set should be used. I think it should be put away and taken out a few times a year for birthdays or when we want to be fancy or just deliberately remember his grandma. He wants to use them much more often - when I'm away I know he drinks coffee from the teacups every day, for instance.

The problem is, he's also extremely clumsy. We go through dishes really quickly - a new set of drinking glasses at least once a year. He breaks at least one dish every month. He broke the teapot the first year we had it - he initially promised to replace it, but then realized it would cost a fair amount of money and never did. I replaced it in the end. He's broken two teacups already.

I loved his grandma, but obviously I didn't love her as much as he did. They were very important to each other, and I know using the china makes him feel close to her.

But I also know that she loved her china collection, and was very careful with it. I think she left it to me because she knew I would do the same. I hate that it keeps getting broken.

I know my husband likes to drink coffee out of more delicate cups, so I buy him a secondhand china teacup every time he needs a new one.

Today I went to do the dishes and moved a heavy pan in the sink, only to find one of his grandma's teacups (unbroken, thankfully) right underneath it. I said (passive aggressively, I realize), "Hey, when did you start using these as every day cups again?"

And he said, "Oh, well I broke my every day one last week."

I am frustrated and annoyed. It's important to me that this china be protected (to a reasonable degree! I'm not saying we should never use them, just that we should be deliberate and careful about it). I don't know how to get him on board, or whether I should just...let this go and let them get broken?