Porcelain Talk

A porcelain smile

When we think about porcelain, the most common items that come into mind are usually dishes or dolls. Did you know that these days one of the most common items made from porcelain are worn everyday by many people? Yes, that’s right, porcelain teeth. Well, I should say, porcelain veneers.

Veneers are used in dentistry as a method of making the teeth look perfect. The real tooth is sanded down and a veneer (an item that looks similar to a tooth, but simply caps the original tooth) is placed over the sanded tooth. Porcelain is the most common type of veneer purchased because of its ability to look very similar to a real tooth. Porcelain veneers are very similar to the natural structure of our real teeth and allow the tooth to be just as strong, if not stronger than it was before the placement of the veneer.

Well, this is great, right? Unless you are blessed with perfectly perfect teeth, who wouldn’t want to get these porcelain veneers put in. Well, although many people may want to get this procedure done, it is one of the most expensive surgery’s out there. The cost varies between $700 and $2,400 per tooth! That means you’ll be spending $20,000-$40,000 on the teeth alone, as this doesn’t include the procedure costs. Also, because of its nature, the teeth do break under certain conditions and the cost of a repair is a couple hundred for just one tooth. So, although they look great, there is a price to be paid for a porcelain smile.

The biggest craze in Porcelain

I remember when I was growing up, my grandmother used to get me a different porcelain doll for each and every holiday. I was quite young when this began, seen the movie “Toys” and grew a deep fear towards these dolls. My mom insisted on putting them on stands in an order that felt like I was being watched by the dolls, ridiculous I know, but very real to the 7 year old I was. One day I took all of the dolls and put them up my attic, never to be seen again. Sadly, when we moved to our new home, the dolls were never recovered from the attic and were gone forever. Some porcelain dolls are actually worth quite a bit of money these days and that has me wonderful ‘what ever happened to my dolls?’

For a long time, porcelain dolls have been the most commonly purchased porcelain item out there. The dolls come in many different styles, shapes and colors. At one point, you can even have one of these dolls made to look just like you. Very creepy, but to each their own. The dolls are actually quite expensive and that is because of the uniqueness that each artist puts into the doll during its creation.

The most valuable porcelain dolls are the ones made from something called ‘Bisque’ porcelain. This is the most delicate, flawless and smooth porcelains out there. Anyone who has one of these dolls would benefit by having it priced by someone who knows a lot about these dolls. I guess porcelain doll collecting will continue to be popular among children for a long time, but unfortunately I won’t be including my daughter in this trend.

Porcelain; A great material with many uses

Porcelain is a popular ceramic-like material that has been used to create a wide-variety of objects for many years. It is one of the delicate materials, but also offers a versatile feel, making it ideal for anything from dolls to glass dishes. Its natural form has a somewhat ‘rough’ feel while gloss and paint can be used to give it a sleek and shiny finish. The material is delicate if dropped; however, porcelain is a hard material otherwise, making it a great material for dishes.

Many collectable dishes, dolls, vases and more and made from porcelain material. This is because the design of and on the material is subject to a wide-variety of creativity by the maker. Actually, most of the old pieces made of porcelain have a somewhat artistic appearance. When the material is hot it can be easily shaped and molded, making it also ideal for creating sculptures and memorabilia’s.

One of the most beautiful artistic pieces in my opinion is the flower centerpiece that was created in 18^th century Spain. While the artist left the porcelain raw, by not adding any paint or gloss, the detail within the centerpiece is remarkable is looks very similar to the real thing.

Items are made from porcelain using one of its 3 forms. The 3 forms consist of hard paste, soft paste and bone. Each of these types of porcelain has their own feel and look. For example; soft paste is made from ceramic and ground up pieces of glass, so it wouldn’t be ideal for creations that require a smooth finish. The possibilities when it comes to porcelain creations are nearly endless.