History
Thomas Frye was a potter who discovered bone china formulation. Frye developed the first formulation of bone china in 1748 at his porcelain factory, which remains the basis for all bone china products to this day. English potters had struggled making hard-paste porcelain at the same quality level as East Asia, so by adding bone ash to their porcelain mixture it gave their products a greater level of strength. Due to this development, bone china quickly proved to be highly popular, leading to its production by most English potters
Features
Bone china is a type of porcelain that is composed of bone ash, feldspathic material and kaolin. Bone china is the strongest of all the ceramics, having very high mechanical and physical strength and being chip resistant. Its high strength allows it to be produced in thinner cross-sections than other types of porcelain. Bone China is sought after as it is much lighter than porcelain and stoneware so it is easier to pick up and use than other ceramic bodies, also being known for its high levels of whiteness and translucency. More care is needed in the production of fine bone china because of its lower plasticity and a narrower vitrification range. The raw materials for bone china are comparatively expensive, and the production is labor-intensive, which is why bone china maintains a luxury status and high pricing.
What's the difference between Fine Bone China and New Bone China?
Whilst both bone china’s are high-class forms of porcelain, the difference is that New Bone China doesn’t contain the bone ash unlike Fine Bone China. The development of new bone china was a result of the need for a modern day alternative which doesn’t contain animal bone. The bone properties of fine bone china are replaced with what the Chinese call ‘Jade'.
