Fun facts about pottery and ceramics

Ceramists do not dig clay in the backyard of the house and do not make dishes out of it. Wild clay is suitable no more than for children's crafts. And even in that case you will have to endeavor to prepare it properly.

During the firing of clay, harmful substances are released. It may be harmful to be near it. This is another reason why a kiln should not be installed at home.

Clay is a part of porcelain. In ancient times, these dishes were valued at their weight in gold.

Not all clay is equally useful! Before the clay gets into the pottery workshop, it goes through complex technological processes in factories. So that the material becomes safe to use (without harmful impurities), reaches required level of plasticity and necessary characteristics.

It will not work to burn ceramics in a kitchen oven, because clay requires around 1900°F to be fired, and your oven heats up to 500°F degrees on average.

A thin transparent porcelain cup is stronger in its characteristics than a thick-walled pot made of red clay, because of its porous structure after firing.

Thin porcelain can be translucent to the light, as it is sintered almost to the condition of glass.

The gold stripes on dishes are made of real gold! (Gold preparations contain 10-12% precious metal, the rest burns out in firing). Such dishes can not be put in the microwave or dishwasher.

The most expensive porcelain tableware – a small bowl of Chicken Cup from the Ming Dynasty – was sold in Hong Kong in 2015 for $ 36 million. A rooster, a chicken and a chick are depicted on it, that’s why it received the nickname "chicken". The estimated age of the relic is 500 years.

Ceramic tableware can accumulate heat. The material absorbs it into its covering, and then smoothly and slowly returns it to the dish. Milk in a ceramic jug may not become sour for up to three days, even without being boiled. Bread in ceramics stays fresh for a long time, and jam will not be covered with mold. It's all about the porous structure.