Porcelain and ceramics

Porcelain and ceramics are classic materials for making cups, teapots and tea-for-one sets.
The biggest differences between the two materials are in their weight and appearance as well as the material composition.

Ceramic consists mostly of clay that is fired at temperatures of 600 degrees or more. Porcelain, on the other hand, is a form of ceramic but mainly consists of the minerals kaolin (a fire-resistant decomposition product of feldspar), feldspar and quartz. The amounts of the individual components vary and largely determine the later hardness of the material. Porcelain is fired at high temperatures of at least 1,200 degrees.

 

The oldest pottery was found in Siberia and is said to have been manufactured in 13,000 BC. Reaching the high firing temperatures, which are necessary for the production of porcelain, was not possible with primitive means. This is the reason why porcelain was first made by Chinese master potters in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 906 AD).

New Bone China and Bone China are forms of porcelain that are characterized by high light transmission. Bone China contains bone ash, which creates the transparency. The lower price of New Bone China is due to the use of substitute materials such as talc. However, this does not necessarily mean that New Bone China does not contain any bone ash at all.