Pottery Brown

11 Apr, 2004 in art pottery by admin

Pottery Brown

Things you need to know before buying your ceramic dinnerware!

The word ceramic was derived from the greek word 'Keramos' meaning 'earthen vessel'. The word has now been applied to a wide range of products from terracotta to the finest bone china. Dinnerware and tableware are just two of the categories often used by stores to describe the end use of this range of ceramics.

For the discerning shopper selection of dinnerware is primarily based around fashion. In todays fast moving world, where casual dining has become the norm, our dinnerware often reflects our taste in food or the environment in which we use it. For example mexican food might well be served in brightly coloured dishes decorated with peppers, spices and other vegetables reflecting the type of food we might eat..

However the technical features of the dinnerware are much harder to identify. First what type of ceramic is it we are buying? Is it terracotta,earthenware,stoneware, porcelain or bone china? Often it just says china on the box but this means nothing as it is just another broad term implying it is a ceramic! But we know that already don't we?

So just how do we identify the different types of pottery? One way is to look at the colour of the body under the shiny glaze. The best place to do this is under the foot of the item as this is often unglazed. In order of pure whiteness the following is a generalised guide to the colour .

Terracotta bright red to red brown body colour

Stoneware pale brown to buff colour

Earthenware ivory to off white

Porcelain off white to blue white

Bone China creamy pure white

Porcelain and bone china can be more easily differentiated from the rest by their translucency. This means that they they let light transmit thro the piece. If you hold a delicate piece of bone china or porcelain up to the light, and wave your hand beween the plate and the light, you can see a shadow of your hand thro the piece.

So now we know what type of dinnerware we are buying-what does it mean ? Firstly it is a guide to the strength of the piece and means resistance to chipping ,cracking and breakage. Secondly it is a guide to the cost. High quality bone china and porcelain manufacturers use highly refined materials and processes to 'design in' the whiteness,translucency and strength required by consumers.Consequently the cost is higher. However because of the inherent strength you might expect this type of pottery to last longer in use!

As in life things are never quite so simple. The manufacturers of other types of dinnerware (terracotta,stoneware,and earthenware) compensate for their lack of inherent strength by making chunkier pieces. All types of ware can be highly decorated with colour so this is not the differentiator. So the shopper has a choice of chunkier less white designs or whiter more delicate designs!

The chemical resistance to acids and washing detergents is also worth considering. Generally higher fired glazed tableware such as porcelain and stoneware have a higher intrinsic chemical durability and are 'unleaded' but this is not always the case.Top brands now indicate their testing to BS or FDA standards and indicate their quality by labelling with 'dishwasher safe' and 'unleaded' or 'lead-free' . The astute shopper therefore needs to look for these labels in determining value for money.

In summary,shopping for dinnerware can be an enjoyable experience! Armed with a little technical knowledge the process can be so much easier! Give at least equal weighting to to the technical performance as to the fashionable design in choosing your ceramic tableware.

For more information why not contact the Potters Friend at www.pottersfriend.co.uk

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About the Author

Educated to a Masters degree level in Materials Science and Technology, my love of ceramics has lasted over 27 years.
A member of the Institute of Materials, Mining and Minerals, I have travelled the world to help potters find solutions to body, glaze and decoration faults. Regarded as an expert in glaze technology; I have been challenged by the biggest names in the the pottery industry.

I have found two indian artifacts in the tualitan area of oregon. They are both pottery,.Are they valuable?

One is a vase type pot it has no painting on it it is brown and it is broken on the top. The other is also broken but it has some painting on it it has some type of ducks that are on it arouind the top of it.

Instead of asking if they are valuable, you should be asking yourself how you would like to be arrested for finding and not reporting Native American artifacts that you have found and are trying to sell. This is a felony to sell artifacts of Native American culture without seeking archaeological help. And if you do that not only will you get recognition but you might start a whole new trend where you get the credit and the archaeologists acknowledge your worth to their profession and to the Native Americans that are still around who benefit from your finds.

Potters: Throwing on the Wheel with Jeff Brown