Bone china is a durable, lightweight and elegant material commonly used to make tableware and teaware, such as plates, bowls, mugs and teacups. It is known for its light, delicate feel and its almost translucent appearance.

Bone china is made from china clay, china stone and bone ash. To create bone china, china clay, china stone, bone ash or a combination of these materials is mixed with porcelain clay and then fired at a slightly lower temperature than porcelain. This process gives bone china its distinctive strength, lightness and translucency.

Investing in bone china tableware comes with many benefits. Bone china is the strongest material of the porcelain and china ceramics, meaning that it is likely to endure through everyday use. Bone china is a precious material, so will last for decades and can have amazing sentimental value when passed down through generations. It brings a perception of elegance and sophisticated taste to dining at home, making every day a special occasion.

Bone china is also:

• Break-resistant
• Microwave-safe
• Oven-safe
• Dishwasher-safe

Bone china is considered to be the highest quality ceramic used for tableware, and is perfect for both everyday use and special occasions because it’s strong, durable, and beautiful.

The durability of bone china is actually based on the percentage of bone ash content present within the product. The traditional formulation for bone china is about 25% kaolin, 25% Cornish stone and 50% bone ash. The industry minimum for bone content is 30% or higher.

Yes. In fact, it’s microwave safe, dishwasher safe and oven safe.

Here are some tips for washing your Wedgwood china tableware set:

• Wash dishes straight away to remove any acidic or sticky food residue.
  
• When handwashing, wash each dish individually using a mild liquid detergent and a non-abrasive cloth.
  
• If using a dishwasher, take care not to overload the rack and keep metal items away from your fine bone china - even light contact can scratch, chip or crack your dishes.

Here are some tips for keeping your Wedgwood china in stunning condition:

• Soak your pieces in white vinegar for three minutes before rinsing and towel drying them to remove hard water spots.
• Remove coffee stains from mugs (as well as fork marks from plates) by rubbing a paste of baking soda and water over the tableware before rinsing and drying.
• To prevent scratching and chipping your fine bone china tableware set, put it in a fabric storage case, or put segments of fabric, tissue paper or napkins between each piece when stacking.

The first development of bone china was made by Thomas Frye at his Bow Porcelain Factory near Bow in East London in 1748. His factory was located close to the cattle markets and slaughterhouses of London’s East End, so he had easy access to the animal bones needed to create the bone ash used in bone china. He originally called his formulation ‘fine porcelain, uses up to 45% bone ash in his products.

Between 1789 and 1793, the concept of bone china was further developed by Josiah Spode of Stoke-on-Trent, introducing his ‘Stoke China’ in 1796. When the original Josiah Spode died suddenly, his son Josiah II took over, and renamed the product ‘bone china’. The material quickly became highly popular, leading to its production by a large number of other pottery manufacturers across Britain.

The main difference between bone china and fine china is actually the colour, and the different material components that are used to achieve this tonal variation. As we mentioned earlier, bone china is made of ‘bone ash’, which is ash made from animal bones (usually those of a cow) mixed into the ceramic material. Cow bone ash is added into the mixture to give bone china that unique, creamy, soft colour it’s famous for..

Fine china on the other hand (which doesn’t include any bone ash) is a starker, whiter tone. It’s easy to see the difference between the two by lifting fine china or bone china up to light; the bone china will be translucent and will let in more light, whereas the fine china will totally block any light coming through.