The artistic qualities of fine china may be the first thing that you notice, whether you are examining dinnerware, vases or ornamental pieces. The art of earning porcelain china began in the nation that lent its name to these items well over 1,000 decades ago. Fine china — bone or even porcelain — weighs substantially less than an equivalent stoneware or earthenware slice. While newer china pieces are typically dishwasher safe, for old items, do not put them inside the fridge if you want them to last.
Ceramic Forms
China — a catchall word used to describe most any ceramic piece, dinnerware or cosmetic item — can be classified into four basic types: bone china, porcelain china, stoneware and earthenware. The first two represent fine china, while the latter two are typically associated with regular dinnerware, crocks, jugs or ornamental pieces. The materials used, the fire processes, the ornamental glazes and finishing touches mark the difference between fine china and functional china.
Inner Light
Place your hand behind a plate of fine bone china — the maximum quality china created — and you can see its shadow through it. Light passes through bone, more vibrant than china made from porcelain clays and materials. Bone china, the English response to Chinese porcelain, has a glasslike quality to it, is very light and thin, and therefore is kiln-fired at even higher temperatures compared to porcelain china. Bone china appears to shine with an inner light; though seemingly fragile, it’s very powerful.
Porcelain China
With an absorbent speed marginally higher than bone china, porcelain china feels slightly heavier than bone china. While bone china is traditionally white and may or may not have hand-painted designs, porcelain china dinnerware is available in a wide range of colours, rim treatments — such as gold or silver — and designer patterns. Not as translucent as bone china, porcelain china is a vitreous product, somewhat glasslike, that nonetheless retains a few of these qualities of bone. A few ceramic china patterns can run into the thousands of dollars for an entire table setting.
Hallmarks and Porcelain Marks
On the back of fine china or its underside, you can typically find certain hallmarks, producer’s or artist’s marks and pattern amounts. Pattern numbers identify the specific layout and patterns made on the nice china, useful when you want to replace table settings dropped because of breakage. Many brands of china hold greater value than others, dependent on when the china was created, the nation and name of the manufacturer. Porcelain marks can determine the manufacturer, the country of origin as well as the era of the china. You can research these marks in novels, through antique appraisers or online.