Porcelain, fine china and bone china are often used as though they meant the same thing. They do not, and the differences matter when you are choosing a service you intend to keep for many years.
Porcelain is fired to be dense. It is made from fine white clay and minerals fired at very high temperatures, which gives a hard body with a smooth, glassy surface. Well made porcelain is strong for its thickness, resists scratching and does not absorb water. That is why it has long been the material of choice for tables that are used rather than simply admired.
Bone china contains bone ash. Bone china is a type of porcelain made with a proportion of bone ash, often a quarter of the body or more. The ash gives it a warm, creamy tone and a delicate translucency when you hold it to the light. Porcelain made without bone ash tends to be brighter and whiter, and a little denser in the hand.
Bone ash free means exactly that. The dinner and tea services in our Executive and 24K Gold collections are fine porcelain made without animal bone ash. For many households that matters in itself. It also gives the bright, clean white against which gold, platinum and coloured glazes read most clearly.
Whiteness is a mark of quality, not only a colour. Makers speak about the whiteness of a porcelain body because a clean white is harder to achieve than it looks: impurities in the raw materials show as grey or yellow tints. A body with high whiteness makes food look fresher and lets decoration read precisely, which is why the specifications for many of our services list high whiteness among their features.
Decoration is applied, then fired. Gold and platinum detailing is applied over the glaze and fired on at a lower temperature, which bonds the precious metal to the surface. It is durable in normal use but softer than the glaze beneath it. That is why decorated porcelain should be washed by hand, dried with a soft cloth and never put in a microwave. The specifications for our collections also state that their decorations are free of lead and cadmium.
Look closely at the edges. Most everyday damage to porcelain happens at the rim. A well finished rim, a sensible weight and careful handling all help a service last. When you compare pieces, run a finger around the edge and look at where the glaze meets the foot of the plate. Smooth, consistent finishing is one of the quiet signs of a well made service.
The maker. The porcelain sets in our collections are made by Dankotuwa Porcelain, a manufacturer established in 1984 in the town of Dankotuwa in Sri Lanka. Most of what the company makes is exported, and its tableware is sold in many countries around the world.
Pattern, plain or coloured. Once you understand the material, the choice becomes personal. A pattern such as Arabesque Etching brings texture to a table on its own. A cream body such as Jewel Cream is softer and warmer than bright white. Colour and gold together, as in the Empress Blue or Esmeralda Green services, make a table more ceremonial.
Choose with your hands as well as your eyes. Think about how many people you host, whether you prefer pattern or plain, gold or platinum, and how much room you have to store a full service. Then look at the pieces in person. Weight, finish and whiteness are far easier to judge in the hand than on a screen, and our showroom in Upper Hill is the place to do it.