jingdezhen, china

we're heading to porcelain city

nowhere in the world has pottery assumed such importance as in china. but you have probably never heard of jingdezhen, which is a small city in eastern china and is world-known as one of the foremost ceramics manufacturing centers in china. so that's where we went!

everything starts with a mold

the most important step in the process is the creation of the perfect mold. this is key because it is the starting point for every piece that is produced. these molds are typically made of plaster and only have a limited number of uses. the next step is filling the mold. for most parker + gibbs ceramic vases, this is done using a technique called "filling", which involves filling a mold with liquid clay and then allowing it to dry.

stay hopeful and pray...into the kiln it goes

once the pieces are dry and smoothed out to remove any imperfections, it's time for the kiln. and, if all goes according to plan, out pops a finished piece free from breakage and ready for you!