Porcelain

ceramics · craftsmanship · heat · tableware

Incredibly hot temperatures. Porcelain is created by heating raw materials like kaolinite in a kiln at temperatures between 1,200 and 1,400 degrees Celsius, which is hotter than a pizza oven and hot enough to transform clay into something completely different.

Translucent and strong. Porcelain is much stronger and more see-through than regular pottery because of a special process called vitrification, where the clay becomes glass-like. A mineral called mullite forms inside during this heating, making it extra tough.

Everyday and fancy uses. Porcelain is used to make dishes and bowls for eating, decorative figurines, and even electrical insulators and laboratory equipment because it can handle heat and doesn't break easily.

Also called china. Porcelain is sometimes called china, and the finest porcelain originally came from China hundreds of years ago, where artisans perfected the craft.