BASALTWARE: unglazed stoneware, usually black with a dull gloss.

BATCH: the precise mixture of ceramic ingredients which under heat processing is transferred into either glass or clayware.

BISQUE: or BISCUIT: clayware that has been fired once for hardening, but has not yet been glazed.

BLANK: undecorated piece, usually one subjected to further processing.

BLUNGER: large vat in which raw materials in both liquid and solid form are mixed together.

BONE CHINA: contains up to 50% animal ash, mostly ox bone, which is burned and ground to a fine powder.

BRIGHT GOLD: liquid gold paint which when fired comes out bright and requires no polishing.

BURNISHED GOLD: a more expensive gold that comes out dull and must be rubbed to a shine.

CASTING: a process in which the slip is poured into a mold and set.

CERAMICS: generic term referring to all ware made of earth materials and processed by firing or baking.

CLAY: raw material formed when rock breaks down either due to the weather or chemical processes.

COUPE SHAPE: plate lacking a shoulder, flat across the diameter, and rolled up slightly at the rim.

CRACKLEDWARE: clayware surface marked by tiny cracks deliberately induced by sudden cooling.

CRAZING: a defect in the glaze caused by the difference in the rate of contraction between the body and the glaze.

DECAL: a design-bearing sheet applied to ware resulting in transfer decoration. Firing makes decal permanent.

DELFT: pottery originating in Holland, characterized by a colored clay, white glaze, and blue decoration.

DRESDEN: white china generally heavily decorated.

EARTHENWARE: clayware fired at low temperatures producing a heavy, porous, opaque body.

EMBOSSING: raised or molded decoration produced in the mold or formed separately and applied before firing.

ENAMELING: metallic oxides ground to a fine powder and fired at low temperatures used to decorate already glazed pottery.

ENCRUSTATION: decoration of precious metal applied in liquid form and then fired.

ENGOBE: type of decoration in which white or colored slip is applied to the body.

FAIENCE: type of pottery referring to a high-fired glazed earthenware, usually bearing a colorful decoration.

FELDSPAR: an ingredient of clay.

FILLING-IN: decorating process where transfer print outlines are filled in by hand to produce multi-color effects.

FILTER PRESS: press used to extract water from slip.

FIRING: baking process where all ceramics are subject to hardening, strengthening, or fusing.

FLINT: ground flint is mixed with some pottery bodies to control expansion in the kiln.

GILDING: using gold or platinum to decorate ware.

GLAZE: glossy transparent or colored coating baked onto clayware to make it nonabsorbent and resistant to wear.

GLOST FIRING: firing right after glazing.

IRONSTONE: developed in England, originally contained iron slag. Fired briefly at low temperatures.

JASPER: stoneware body known for its fine soft finish developed by Josiah Wedgwood.

JIGGERING: jigger machine used to shape plates.

KILN:oven in which ceramics are fired or baked.

LIMOGES: porcelain originating from French city of Limoges. Kaolin deposits were found in Limoges’ soil in 1768. The rest is history.

LINING: dinnerware decoration consisting of parallel lines running around the edge of the plate.

LITHOGRAPHS: transfers used to decorate ware.

LUSTER: ceramic glaze coating, metallic in nature, which gives the finished piece an iridescent effect.

MAJOLICA: Italian pottery glazed with tin-enamel and usually decorated with rich colors.

MATTE FINISH: flat glaze finish without gloss.

MEISSEN: Europe’s first factory to produce hard-paste porcelain.

MELAMINE: chemical name of the compound generally considered the leading plastic for making dinnerware.

OVERGLAZE: design applied after firing and glazing. Colors tend to be more vivid than those under the glaze.

PARIAN: unglazed china used in figurines because of its marble-like surface texture.

PORCELAIN: hard, translucent clayware usually consisting of 50% kaolin, 25% quartz, and 25% feldspar. Kaolin provides plasticity, durability, and consistency and influences the whiteness of the body; quartz provides stability; and feldspar provides vitrification.

PUG MILL: machine that kneads clay to remove bubbles of air and give an even consistency.

QUIMPER WARE: colorful French pottery of peasant character from French town Quimper.

REFRACTORIES: materials which can withstand high temperatures.

SALT GLAZE: semi-matte or half-glossy glaze obtained by injecting salt into the kiln during firing.

SCRAFFITO: decoration produced by casting a piece with a layer of colored slip then incising a design in that layer so the original body color shows.

SCREEN PRINTING: decoration in which stencil-like screens are used to apply colors.

SEMI-PORCELAIN: misnomer really. Used to describe grades of earthenware.

SHOULDER: raised rim of a plate.

SILICA: one of our most abundant minerals and a vital ingredient in dinnerware. Basic component of glazes.

SLIP: mixture of clay and water used to produce the body and decoration.

SLIP COATING: layer of slip applied to a body for decorative effect.

STONEWARE: dense clay fired at 2400 degrees. Stoneware is generally glazed in subdued earthy tones giving a hand-crafted look. Porous and chip-resistant.

TEXTURE GLAZE: colored glaze in which dripping, running, eruption, or some other controlled disturbance heightens the effect.

THROWING: forming clay manually by shaping it as it’s rotated on a potter’s wheel. Think Demi Moore in Ghost.

TRANSFER PRINTING: decoration similar to decal applying, but permitting only one color applied at a time.

TUNNEL KILN: long tunnel-like oven where clayware is fired as it is carried on slow moving flat cars.

UNDERGLAZE: decoration applied directly to the bisque and then covered with a protective glaze coating making it resistant to wear.