|
The following is a description of
how are products are made and there care and handling.
Alabastrite
Alabastrite is a stone-based material which can be intricately
molded producing great detail, and will allow paint to adhere. These
items may be cleaned by dusting, however, they should not be washed with
water as they are painted with water soluble paints.
Bone China
White clay with bone ash added. Bone ash content must be at least
25% by U. S. guidelines. Fired at 1800 degrees. The translucent material
is finished with a glaze or underglaze (matte). Lighter, stronger, more
expensive than porcelain.
Porcelain
Fine ground white clay, molded and fired in an oven for eight
hours at 1200 degrees. Finished with a glazed, underglazed, or "bisque"
finish. Glazing produces a high gloss; underglaze produces a matte
finish. Bisque is a matte finish without glaze. After finishing, the
item is "cooked" for six hours at 800 degrees.
Jade Porcelain
Jade porcelain is a type of porcelain made with a finer clay.
Usually no glaze or only a colorless glaze will be applied at the final
firing to show off the very smooth surface and to preserve the
translucency. Example: 27112. Jade Porcelain is used for night lights
because of its high degree of translucency when lit.
Stoneware
White clay with fine ground stone. Working with stoneware demands
great expertise, and is in fact becoming a lost art. Stoneware is safe
to use in microwave and conventional ovens.
Patchwork Items
Unique fabric or paper prints are applied to the surface of
porcelain, dolomite or polyresin items. After application, 12 layers of
lacquer are added and the item is hand polished to a high gloss between
each layer.
Hong Tze
To closely emulate a special stone found in China which is known
for its deep red color, these items are created using an alabastrite
polyresin. Hong Tze pieces are highly polished, further bringing out the
intense, deep red color.
Frosted Acrylic
Acrylic items are given the French Lilac process, (used on glass),
to achieve the distinctive frosted look. Example: 27205. The drama of
frosted glass without the weight.
Gypsum
Gypsum is a white mineral which is usually used to make Plaster of
Paris.
Dolomite
A magnesia-rich, sedimentary rock resembling limestone, dolomite
is either gray, pink or white in color.
Cubic Zircon
The most successful simulated diamond. Properties such as
refraction, hardness, and specific gravity are remarkably similar to
diamonds. Example: 27432. Cubic zirconia are very hard to distinguish
from diamonds; sometimes a jewelers loop will be needed to see the
difference.
Diamond
Extremely hard, highly refractive colorless or white crystalline
of carbon. Diamonds, like all gemstones, are judged in terms of Carats,
or weight (different from Karats, as in gold purity).
Gold
The ultimate precious metal. Virtually indestructible, amazingly
malleable, doesn't rust or tarnish. Graded by purity; in the U.S. a
scale of 24 is used, so 24 Karats (24K) is 100% pure. 18K is 18 parts
gold and 6 parts alloy (other metals), and so on. 10K is the legal
minimum for Karat-graded gold. The word
"Plumb"
indicates the exact purity of the piece.
Gemstones
Rubies, sapphires, emeralds and amethysts, often treasured as
birthstones, fall under the category of gemstones. (Birthstones are
listed in the back of your WOP catalog.) Gemstones are priced and graded
by Carat weight.
Pearl
A smooth, lustrous, variously-colored deposit formed around a
grain of sand in the shell of a certain mollusk. Pearls may be formed
naturally or "cultured" through an artificial implanting process.
Sterling Silver
To qualify as "sterling" a given piece must be composed of a least
92.5% pure silver.
|
