How to choose porcelain as a gift

Porcelain occupies one of the leading positions in the ranking of popular gift materials. Porcelain products are presented for personal and public celebrations, family and calendar holidays, to men and women, infants and elders, modest rural workers and VIPs of the national scale. What is the secret of the constant popularity of a ringing present and how to choose one appropriate for each specific case? Read about all the features of the porcelain gift below.

The advantages of a porcelain gift

It has always been prestigious to give porcelain. The Chinese invented it in the VI-VIII centuries AD and kept the recipe a closely guarded secret. Even in China itself, porcelain products were extremely valued. What can we say about Europe, where the nobility was ready to shell out a fortune for a porcelain trinket brought from China. Such gifts were given only by the wealthiest people and on the most solemn occasions. Suffice it to say that royalty did not always have enough money for such fabulous luxury.

With the advent of its own European production, porcelain became more affordable, but it remains a luxury item to this day. The material is still appreciated for its beauty, grace, strength, and durability. It never drops in price, being considered a profitable investment and a worthy exhibit of a collection of family values. At the same time, it is practical. Porcelain tableware and interior decorations serve indefinitely, preserving their pristine splendor.

How to choose a good porcelain?

The above applies only to high-quality porcelain products, and not to a low-grade parody. In order not to confuse one with the other, it is enough to recall well-known signs that allow you to distinguish porcelain from other types of ceramics.

Signs of high-quality porcelain

• Sonority – if you touch good porcelain with a wooden stick, you will hear a long-lasting clear high-pitched metallic sound, which indicates the density and strength of high-grade ceramics close to metal.
• The color of a shard of good porcelain can only be white, or a delicate creamy shade. A bluish or grayish tint indicates questionable quality. Real porcelain is never completely glazed, so that it is possible to see the true color of the shard and assess the uniformity of the porcelain mass. Such a test fragment is left in inconspicuous places, for example, on the bottom of a cup or vase.
• Smoothness – the surface of the porcelain product is flawlessly smooth without bubbles, roughness, chips, scratches and other defects. The glaze should be plain, without streaks and inclusions.
• Transparency – good porcelain has sufficient light transmission. If you look through a thin-walled porcelain saucer at a bright light source, you can see the logo or brand of the factory applied to the back side.
• Thin–walled - the wall thickness of high-quality porcelain tableware is not more than 2.5 mm.
• Perfect shape – the bottoms and edges of the products are perfectly smooth without deformations, the lids fit snugly, the cups do not sway on the saucers.

Types of porcelain

• Hard porcelain – it is this porcelain mass based on kaolin clay that was invented in China. The more clay there is in the composition, the stronger the product. High-temperature porcelain is fired several times at 1400-1600 °C.
• Soft porcelain is the second name of "artificial". It appeared in Europe when craftsmen were trying to unravel the secret of Chinese porcelain. The porcelain mass is obtained by mixing finely ground clay with a vitreous powder. It is fired at lower temperatures, therefore it does not sinter completely, having a slightly porous surface.
• Bone china is a kind of hard porcelain, but bone ash is added to the mass, which gives thin–walled products unsurpassed strength, whiteness and transparency. The firing temperature is 1050-1100 °C.

Types of porcelain decor

• Relief decor is applied to the walls of products by engraving, perforation, cast together with the mold, or formed separately and glued to the finished product.
• Painting – underglaze is applied directly to the shard, overglaze – on top of the glaze.

A gift made of porcelain

The versatility of the unique material makes it possible to make magnificent dishes, sculptural miniatures, candlesticks, watches, caskets, chess – everything that the masters have enough imagination for. Even products made by the factory serial method always retain a share of exclusivity, because they are hand-painted. There are a lot of reasons to give porcelain in the calendar and in life, but each specific case requires its own gifts.

Wedding and Anniversary gifts

The wedding celebration is rightfully considered one of the most porcelain holidays. Not only is the 20th anniversary of living together called a "porcelain wedding", but also not a single banquet in honor of the young is complete without gift sets, vases and everything that pleases the eyes of the young and helps them build a cozy family nest. We offer several solutions for wedding gifts made of porcelain:

• Coffee set for 2 people "Vertical" with the pattern "My Happiness" - the product of the imperial porcelain factory is decorated with images of the groom, the bride, roses and flying pigeons. An exquisite set simply obliges young people to spend every morning together over a cup of invigorating coffee.
• The porcelain statuette "Happy Family" from the Italian porcelain factory Porcellane Principe is a joy–breathing sculptural composition replete with symbols of cloudless family happiness, here is a mother with laughing children, and a full basket – the personification of prosperity and abundance, and a rooster protecting home comfort.
• The dish in the form of a Baroque swan by the Italian company Ahura is an amazingly beautiful symbol of marital fidelity.
• Porcelain hearts are a symbolic souvenir that a wife can present to her husband or husband to his wife for another joint anniversary.
• A porcelain slipper is a memorable wedding souvenir and a clever way to pay tribute to an ancient tradition without accompanying discomfort, prescribing the groom to drink wine from the bride's slipper.

Housewarming Gifts

The happiest of holidays about getting your own living space. Is it possible to make it cozy without porcelain? Of course not! Newcomers are given something that is suitable for a stylish interior and for a comfortable life.

• The key is symbolic – painted with gzhel, it will remind you of the happy day when the doors of the new house opened for the first time for guests.
• The "Rooster" damask is definitely useful in the household, besides, folk tradition has long entrusted the rooster with protecting the house from evil forces and all misfortunes.
• A menagerie – a roomy porcelain dish divided into separate sectors on the table is indispensable and will decorate a collection of expensive dishes.
• A set for 6 people "Youth" with a "golden ribbon" pattern - snow-white serving items with a thin golden border are appropriate in everyday life and spectacular on the days of celebration.
• The Elephant watch is a symbol of a cozy home. The porcelain elephant with its trunk raised up is equipped with an accurate clock mechanism: functional and with best wishes.

New Year and Christmas gifts

The snowy atmosphere of your favorite winter holidays has a gentle porcelain ringing. Touching gifts are in tune with the children's feeling of a fairy tale.

• A set of Christmas tree toys "New Year" - Santa Claus, Snow Maiden and a beautiful Christmas Tree are hand-painted. Hung on a Christmas tree and placed under it, they look wonderful.
• A set of Christmas tree damask toys "Cockerels" is the same, but for adult boys and girls.
• The musical figure "gifts from Santa Claus" - how nice it is when there is such a thing in the house. Its solemn installation in a place of honor once a year sets up the whole family in a festive mood.
• The kettle "Holiday in the village" is a roomy teapot in the shape of Santa Claus, caressing fluffy bunnies, will gather relatives and friends for a festive tea party.
• The porcelain angel is one of the symbols of Christmas, it was the angels who informed the shepherds about the birth of the Savior in the Bethlehem cave.

Gifts for the kitchen

First of all, of course, these are dishes:

• Sets
• Tea pairs
• Coffee pairings
• Porcelain dishes and plates
• Porcelain teapots

It is impossible to give universal recommendations in this case. The abundance of shapes and colors allows you to choose products that fit perfectly into the interior and emphasize the individuality of its owners. This is what you should bet on when choosing a gift.

Gifts for the living room

But here the emphasis is not so much on functionality as on status. Of the outstanding VIP gifts, we can recommend:

• Collectible porcelain chess "Borodino" - on a Karelian birch board, figures of emperors Alexander I and Napoleon executed with historical accuracy, as well as their closest advisers, army commanders–in-chief and prominent generals - legendary participants in the legendary battle.
• The vase "Pleasant Rest" by the Italian masters of the Tiche company is pompous with an abundance of gilding and a picturesque miniature, it will become the pride of the main hall.
• The porcelain collection "Old Town" - each element depicting the architecture and everyday life of Moscow has artistic and historical value. The masterpiece was created for a year and a half, became a prize-winner at international exhibitions. There are no analogues in the world.

The masters suggest choosing classic chess or with a thematic accent in the decor: for oil workers, power engineers, traffic police officers, etc. The variety of stylistics of vases allows you to make a gift to a connoisseur of classics and a fan of the avant-garde.

Of the less expensive, but no less interesting interior gizmos, porcelain jewelry boxes, candlesticks, photo frames, souvenir damask are in demand.

Official porcelain gifts are decorated with state symbols, are distinguished by a restrained color scheme and strict minimalism. Gifts made of porcelain with a professional bias, in addition to recognizable details, are also endowed with a subtle sense of humor: whether it is a damask disguised as an oil barrel, or a chef of a restaurant imprinted in a characteristic author's mini-sculpture. Religious gifts made of porcelain: Easter eggs, ornate kiosks, sculptural compositions based on the biblical story are executed with reverence and spirituality.

Giving porcelain is just as pleasant as receiving it as a gift. We wish everyone as much pleasure as possible!