There are three types of china--hard paste, soft paste and bone china. The main ingredients in hard paste china are kaolin and petuntse. Soft paste china contains additional materials, such as sand or gypsum, that make it less strong. Bone china is made of kaolin, petuntse and bone ash, which makes it the hardest form of china.
History
Although he did not invent it, Josiah Spode was the first to perfect the recipe for bone china in the mid-18th century. His company still exists and continues to produce bone china today. Other companies have adopted Spode's recipe, but not all bone china is made by Spode.
Method
Bone ash is made from pulverizing real animal bones after they have been fired at extremely high temperatures. The fine white dust is combined with water and added to the formula for hard paste china.
Features
Bone china is extremely white. It is also translucent, meaning when it is held up to the light, you can see through it. People usually refer to a set of bone china as the "good china" and only bring it out for special occasions.
Manufacturers
Lenox is the only American company to produce bone china. In addition to Spode, other manufacturers include Wedgwood, Minton, Royal Albert and Waterford.
Care
Caring for bone china is no different from other forms of china. Display pieces usually only need to be dusted rather than wet cleaned. If you do need to clean your bone china, be careful when washing over decorations applied over the glaze because you can rub them off quite easily. Handle bone china as little as possible to minimize the chance of breakage.
Warning
Collecting bone china--both modern and antique--is an expensive hobby. Be prepared to spend a significant amount of money as you acquire pieces. If you break a piece, never attempt to repair it yourself. Contact a professional conservator.
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