Plastic, docile, pleasant to the touch, loves moisture, leaves fingerprints and gets thoughts stuck in it, it is indisputably the most suitable material for improvisation. What is it? Clay for ceramics.
Sedimentary rock – clay for ceramics
Yes, this is the most suitable organic material, which not only pleases the creator, but is also able to become a witness to the most important moment in life or a memory of it.
The most characteristic feature of clay ceramics, as I have already mentioned, is its plasticity. Wet clay is easy to knead, roll, mold, stretch, and press, thus giving it the desired shape, which remains the same even after the clay has completely dried.
Firing in a kiln for firing ceramics causes the minerals in the clay mass (the product formed from it) to transform into a glassy phase. When producing a ceramic product for practical purposes (for household use or for wearing on the body), a single firing in a kiln is not enough.
Although after the first firing, biscuit (so-called, once-fired ceramic product) is resistant to contact with the human body or liquid, and does not deform from moisture. However, its surface is still sufficiently porous and does not retain liquid, easily passing it through the walls of the product. In order for the product to be used in household purposes, biscuit must be covered with glaze.
Glaze is a thin, glassy coating on the surface of a ceramic item. It is applied to a product that has already been fired once, in order to give it decorativeness and protect the surface of the item, i.e. to make it water-resistant and durable.
The choice of glazes today is truly very wide. You can choose from matte, glossy, semi-transparent or colorless glazes. Also reduction (metallic shades), crackle glaze (which crumbles when the product is fired).
A ceramic product coated with glaze and fired in a kiln designed for firing ceramics (at a temperature higher than 1000 degrees) acquires its characteristic properties: it becomes resistant to abrasion, heat and flame, durable, and non-toxic.
So, as you can see, glaze manufacturers offer a wide range of choices. Each creator chooses the materials they work with based on what they think is best suited to their creative ideas.
However, it is also important to note that no matter how strong and durable ceramic items are, they are not immune to breakage.
It is important to emphasize another point that glazes containing lead are not used in the production of dishes, jewelry, or other practical items.
Next, I will briefly introduce the materials used to create "RAMUNĖS nameilė"'s signature ceramics and ceramic jewelry.
Clay masses and other materials are used to make ceramic items and jewelry: plastic (porcelain and clay) and brittle (chamotte).
The most valuable ceramic material is Porcelain
The most valuable material in ceramics is considered to be porcelain, made from kaolin. Kaolin is also used in the faience and paper industries. After firing, it retains its characteristic white or almost white color. Black porcelain is also often used for jewelry production, which is distinguished by its beautiful black graphite shade and blue, an expressive cobalt blue shade.
Jewelry made from this material is characterized by lightness, an exceptional range of colors, and resistance to environmental influences.
Clay for ceramics
Clays are sedimentary rocks - fine-grained mineral masses that, regardless of their mineralogical and chemical composition, when mixed with water form a plastic dough, which, when fired, turns into a waterproof and durable product.
The most commonly used 100% natural clay for ceramics, which is ideal for modeling tableware and creating sculptures. The plastic clay mass sticks to the hands when touched and shines when run with a finger.
The plastic particles of the clay mass are covered with a film of water. As the clay loses the water between the particles, it loses its plasticity. Excess moisture must be removed gradually to prevent the product from deforming.
If the product dries too quickly and unevenly, it will break. This is because the clay shrinks and its volume decreases as it dries. As the clay product dries, the remaining voids are filled with clay particles until they rest against each other.
From that moment on, the clay stops shrinking and loses its plasticity. Just as when it dries unevenly, when it is heated suddenly, the clay object crumbles into crumbs.
Therefore, when firing products in a kiln designed for firing ceramics, the temperature must be raised very consistently. This is to prevent the product from collapsing due to sudden heating, and to ensure that it becomes as hard as stone when fired.
Chamotte
Clay with impurities. Impurities can be very diverse. However, for "RAMUNĖS nameilė" products, a gray-black plastic chamotte clay mass is used, which contains 25% 0-0.2 mm sized grains of fired ground clay (chamotte).
Impurities are added to clay to improve its functional properties, so that larger, coarser ceramic products do not distort when drying, and maintain their shape more stably. This clay is resistant to extreme cold, as well as heat, so products made from it can stand for a long time both outdoors and indoors. Sculptures are created from chamotte for exterior and interior decoration.
Glaze
All glazes used for ceramic tableware and ceramic jewelry are non-toxic, lead-free and do not contain any hazardous substances that would need to be declared in accordance with the regulations on the concentration levels of hazardous substances.
Precious metals in ceramics
Although various metals are associated with cold materials, it is non-ferrous metals that are characterized by warmth and perfect compatibility with other materials: ceramics, porcelain, or even chamotte.
At international furniture and interior exhibitions in Milan and Paris, it is increasingly being said that copper and other non-ferrous metals are experiencing a renaissance in interiors.
Ceramic interior accessories and porcelain jewelry are decorated with gold and platinum lusters, symbolizing long-lasting values and thus emphasizing the triumph of craftsmanship. Because in relation to unconventional materials, they resonate with an incredible sound.
With inspiration, Ramunė
