A Guide to Bone China

Bone china is considered to be the most refined and luxurious of tableware materials, adding sophisticated classical and contemporary design to any table - whether during breakfast, lunch or dinner.
If you're in the market for purchasing bone china tableware, the Wedgwood Guide to Bone China will answer some common questions regarding this beautiful material, as well as providing guidance on how to choose and care for your bone china tableware.

Bone china is a durable, lightweight and elegant material that is most commonly used for the creation of tableware and teaware such as plates, bowls, mugs and teacups. Bone china is made from china clay, china stone and bone ash (made from animal bones).

To create bone china, either china clay, china stone, bone ash, or a combination of the three is combined with porcelain clay and fired at a slightly lower temperature than porcelain. This produces a light, delicate material with a milky, almost translucent appearance.

Investing in bone china tableware comes with many benefits for your at-home eating experience. Bone china is the strongest material of the porcelain and china ceramics, meaning that it is likely to last through everyday use and the usual accidental slips of the hand or knocks off the table. Bone china is a luxurious and 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 considered to be the highest quality ceramic used for tableware, and is perfect for both everyday use and special occasions due to the fact that it’s strong, durable, mostly chip-resistant, and stunningly beautiful.

For an interesting fact, 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.
Is bone china microwave safe? Yes! In fact, it’s microwave safe, dishwasher safe and oven safe.

Here are some tips for washing your 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. Having a plastic tuc in the sink is also a good idea, as it will protect the china from the harsh stainless steel of the sink.

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.

What Exactly is Bone China?

There's something quite elegant and magical about drinking a cup of tea from real bone china.

This popular British belief is apparently true, bone china does make the tea taste better and there are many reasons for this. Bone china doesn’t absorb any of the tea aromas and flavours like other ceramics do and therefore providing a full-on tea tasting experience. The thinner and lighter bone china material adds a very dainty and classy feel. While the creamy-white translucent colour of the china perfectly compliments the hue of tea liquor.

However, because of the possible unethical practices of using bone ash in bone china, some companies are choosing to add jade as an alternative.

Real bone china should not contain any lead, is non toxic and is safe to use. Bone china is made from porcelain, bone ash and kaolin (a type of clay).

Bone china is usually made from cow bones. Just as the name suggests, bone china contains animals parts and is not for everyone. It’s rare, however, some china has been found to contain human bone ash! In the past, a loved one’s ashes could be added to china for a keepsake.