Fine Bone China

Fine bone china is a soft-paste porcelain made up of kaolin, bone ash, and feldspathic material. It contains a minimum of 30 percent phosphate derived from animal bone and calculated calcium phosphate. It is known for a high level of whiteness and translucency while remaining chip resistant. Up until the late twentieth century, bone china was almost entirely produced in England, which is why it is sometimes referred to as English porcelain.

Bone china was first created in East London in 1748 by Thomas Frye. Because his porcelain factory at the time was located near cattle markets, he had easy access to the animal bones that are needed to produce bone china. In the latter part of the eighteenth century, Josiah Spode introduced stoke china, which was a development of Frye's animal bone china. Spode's son, Josiah II, renamed it bone china and made some adjustments to the formula that created the bone china that is so respected today.

Bone china was developed at a time when soft-paste porcelain was primarily being used in England in an attempt to imitate the fine translucency and delicateness of the porcelain from China. This china, which incorporates glass substances in its creation, was not as durable or translucent as bone china. This explains why centuries later, bone china is still so highly revered.

Quick Facts

• Most English porcelain manufacturers including Coalport, Royal Crown Derby, Royal Doulton, and Wedgwood still make bone china,
• Josiah Spode's formula of six parts bone ash, four parts china stone, and three and a half parts china clay remains the base formula for bone china production today
• China is now the biggest producer of bone china in the world