How is Bone China Made?
The Collecting & Sculpting Section

How is bone china made?  Welcome to the heart of my craft.

As a master sculptor, specialising in this very English medium, I can tell you that understanding the journey of how bone china is made, is not just about knowing a process, it is about appreciating the artistry that goes into every piece.  I mean, not just my part in that process, but the whole beautifully complex journey from start to finish.

It's quite some journey, trust me. So many skilled people along the way.

This material is the direct embodiment of my work and my passion. Its unique properties are what makes bone china pieces timeless classics.

I want to walk you through the very essence of how it is brought to life.

More Than Just Porcelain: The Raw Materials

Bone China - More Than Just Porcelain: The Raw Materials

The creation of fine bone china begins with a meticulous blend of raw materials. At one time highly secretive, it is a precise, and very English, formula that has been refined over centuries. At its core, the mixture for bone china is about 50% bone ash, with the rest made up of kaolin, feldspar, and other minerals (for people wanting a more technical breakdown, go to this researchgate.net article). The bone ash, typically sourced from cattle, is what gives bone china its unique translucency, milky-white colour, and exceptional strength.

How bone china is made, is a significant departure from other ceramics. For instance, have you ever wondered about the difference between a delicate bone china teacup and a porcelain plate? While they may look similar, their composition is quite different and they emerged from different locations in the world under different circumstances.

If you'd like to understand exactly what is porcelain (as distinct from bone china) and its history, and what is porcelain made of, and the difference between it and bone china, you can explore it in detail. For a side-by-side look at the two materials, we've created a direct comparison of bone china vs porcelain. This will help you appreciate the nuances that a fine china artisan sees every day.   We delve into the intricate process of creating this material on our dedicated page: How Do You Make Porcelain?

The Sculptor's Hands: Shaping the Vision

Graduallly shaping the vision: a blend of luck, trial and error and personal insights

Now see how the magic unfolds:-

The Sculpt:

As a sculptor, this is where I connect with the material. I use a clay called 'Potclays 1150' to create the initial form, going from initial roughed out flourishes to gradually applying of the finer details.  The gentle curve of a crease or the expressive lines of a hand, that are sculpted in an inexplicable progression of luck, trial and error and personal insights. This is the stage where a piece moves from a blueprint to a work of art - from ideas to the physical. The art of clay sculpting is the first step in this journey, and it’s a process I’m passionate about sharing.

For collectors, understanding this intricate process adds a deeper layer of appreciation for the final piece.  This initial phase is where the piece gets its soul. 

So, I've used my hands and my artistic 'leanings' to create the initial master form. 

The Blockers:

From this point, the making of bone china becomes an extraordinary collaboration of specialists. Skilled artisans, known as master mould blockers, take the finished sculpture and craft the intricate plaster master moulds with absolute precision. Some figurines require as many as 20 separate mould sections.

These master moulds are then used to create working moulds, which can be replaced regularly as they naturally wear down during production. Inside the factory, the collection of moulds for a single figurine looks like a collection of white bricks. Into each section, liquid bone china clay, called slip, is then carefully poured.

The Slip-Casters:

Bone china first appears in this process as the raw ingredients (mentioned above) are mixed with water to form a liquid clay called "slip."   After a short time, the moulds are opened to reveal the freshly cast figurine parts. These delicate pieces are then joined together by highly skilled hands in a process known as stick-up assembly, producing a perfect reproduction of the original sculpt.

To fully appreciate this artistry, you must understand the making of bone china figurines, where every detail is a mark of the artist's skill.

Whether you're curious about traditional methods or even the more accessible process of how to make cold porcelain clay at home, for collectors, understanding this process adds a layer of appreciation for the final piece, especially for treasured items like collectible figurines, where the artist's individual touch is so apparent.

The Greenware Assembly:

Bone china 'stick-up' - greenware pieces being assembled to re-form the original figurine

After stick-up assembly, the pieces, now called "greenware," undergo their first firing in a kiln at a high temperature. This transforms the soft clay into a durable, unglazed ceramic. It’s a nerve-wracking stage, as a significant number of pieces can crack or deform under the extreme heat. The next step is applying a glaze, a thin, glassy coating that gives the china its signature glossy finish. A second, lower-temperature firing then fuses the glaze to the body, making the piece impervious to liquids and giving it a brilliant shine.

This process is a testament to both the strength of the material and the skill of the artist.

The Fire: A Test of Strength and Elegance

Here's how Roger Green (former production manager at Royal Worcester) describes the firing sequences of bone china:  He talks about the various complex kiln firings:- 

"Ah, now this is where the question 'how is bone china made' gets really interesting! Let me walk you through the sequence, because it's quite different from what you might expect. The bone china process is actually backwards from regular pottery; we fire high first, then glaze at lower temperatures".

Here's how Roger says it works for figurines specifically:

The Glazing Timeline:
"First, your figurine gets its high-temperature bisque firing—around 2200-2300°F. Then comes the glazing stage, where we spray on that beautiful glossy coat. After glazing, we fire again but at a much lower temperature—around 1800-2000°F—which melts the glaze into that signature bone china shine.

"You know, when we're adding those beautiful decorative touches, the hand-painted enamels or that gorgeous gold gilding you see on fine pieces, we have to be quite careful about the firing process. Each decorative layer needs its own gentle firing at much lower temperatures, around 760°C to 950°C, to properly fuse onto that already-glazed surface. It's a delicate dance, really; too hot and you'll ruin hours of painstaking work. Now, I'll tell you a trade secret: sometimes we can get clever with our techniques. If we're working with certain compatible materials or using pre-fired elements that we've prepared beforehand, we might be able to combine some decorative steps into a single firing. It all comes down to understanding how different materials behave together in the kiln—that's where years of experience really pay off. But honestly, most of the time we take the safer route with separate firings. Better to spend the extra time than risk losing a piece that's taken days to create."

The Finishing Touches: The Art of Detail

The bone china painter decorates one of Peter Holland's pieces

Once fired, the china is ready for its final adornments. This is the stage where artists add their own highly skilled hand-painted designs, the gilding, and the all-important backstamps. Each mark tells a story, each studio artist decorator can become known and collected in their own right.

Here's Roger Green again, describing the decorating process for bone china - this gives a true expert's take on the question 'how is bone china made?':-

"Now, for decoration, we have three main approaches:

Underglaze work:
This is painted directly onto the raw bisque-fired body before glazing. The glaze goes over it, and everything gets fired together in one go. Bone china glazing problems - Clay and Glaze Chemistry - Ceramic Arts Daily Community It's protected under that glossy layer forever.

Overglaze decoration:
This includes your hand-painted enamels, gold trim, and most decals.

Decals:
Also known as transfer prints, typically go on top of the glazed surface and get fired at 700-850°C. they sit right on that shiny surface.

In-glaze techniques:
These are special materials that actually melt into the glaze layer during firing.

For collectors, the key thing to remember is that most of what you see—those beautiful decals, gold gilding, painted flowers—they're sitting on top of the glaze, not under it. That's why you need to be gentle with them. The underglaze work, though? That's bulletproof—it's sealed under glass, essentially".

The final product is a piece of art that is both delicate and incredibly strong.

So, how is bone china made? Answer: with difficulty. It is an expensive procedure for sure. The elegance of a finished piece of fine bone china is the direct result of this painstaking process. This is the quality that differentiates true masterpieces from the rest, and it is why so many people are drawn to collecting English fine china. To truly understand the final product, you need to understand the material's entire journey, from raw ash to artistry.

In Conclusion: More Than Just Dinnerware

What makes bone china so special is not just its milky translucence or its surprising strength. It's the unique story of its creation. From the humble raw materials to the sculptor’s vision and the fiery trials of the kiln, each piece is a monument to human ingenuity and artistry. When you hold a piece of fine bone china, you are holding a piece of history and the culmination of a master's craft.

You are holding art.

The finished 'Rose Garden' Bone China Figurine by Master Sculptor Peter Holland.
Status: 'Sold Out'

click image to expand

As you've seen, the journey of bone china is a remarkable one. For those who appreciate the art and craftsmanship, we have dedicated sections to help you on your own collecting journey:

• Discover how to preserve your cherished art with our guide to **Caring For Figurines**, covering how to clean and display your collectibles.
• Explore the psychology behind the hobby in my personal look at **Why We Collect Figurines**, where I delve into what drives us as collectors.

So, in this article you have seen my own insider take on the question 'How is bone china made?'.  But what do people mean when they use the description 'fine china'.  How is this distinct from porcelain or fine bone china? 

Here is a bonus article to answer another question I am often asked -  'what is fine china?,'

Inherited a china set?... Download my free 7-point checklist to instantly assess its potential value.