Handmade ceramics aren't cheap, but porcelain is often even more expensive. Compared to other ceramics, porcelain is non-porous, white, and translucent. The secret to these differences is in the clay. But even for experienced potters, porcelain can be challenging to work with. So how is porcelain made and why is it so expensive?
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Why Porcelain Is So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider
This was very interesting. The amount of work, artistry and experience demonstrated by these artisans gives me a greater appreciation for their products.
The elderly man who has worked at this factory for 60 years is amazing.
What else do you do when you do pottery all your life.
He’s been doing that job, for as long as I’ve existed!đł. He is truly a Master Craftsman. The musician whose custom order this is, must be on of the rare, and lucky musicians who are able to make a living from their music. And a very good living it would appear, because I imagine that this order was very expensive. I’m really curious how much this set costs.
Porcelain is not expensive, the artistry is. Misleading video. I’m crappin on porcelain so porcelain is not expensive. This is like doing a video on why wood is so expensive.
@goofyfoot2001, there are plenty of types of wood that are hella expensive.
@goofyfoot2001 Some varieties of wood ARE expensive, regardless of the design of the finished product. That is the very reason fake wood finishes of some wood varieties have become popular.
ok, Business Insiders mini docs are probably the best made on Youtube. So Expensive, and the one on crafts are my favorite. keep up the amazing work!
I know right, I love them so much
@Busta von Nutz please link to his YouTube channel – sounds very interesting!
@Busta von Nutz donât like him – stop promoting him
@ĺ¤§ç ˛ăŻăăăĽă I’m just giving out suggestions, & furthermore who are you? I can do whatever I please.
Glad to see more people seeing all the steps/processes it takes for the beautiful porcelain pieces, some dont realize the amount of work that goes into it
As is the case with almost everything hand-made. Huge props to all artisans that have spent thousands of hours perfecting their craft and work hard to bring us these wonderful products
Something I particularly appreciate here is how they are taking their craftsmanship and a very old skill set, then updating it and applying it to keep it up to date. The traditional designs and colors are beautiful, iconic, and have a real place in the right decor. But actually following the market and producing the quality *along with* designs that will fit into a modern home is going to be their real success, I suspect, and will be what lets them stay a full-scale production place, as opposed to making low-production, bespoke products for only a niche market. Both are valuable, but keeping abreast of the trends without sacrificing quality is going to take them a lot farther, I suspect!
suspectďź
It seems like our forefathers and four mothers had much more of an eye for design and a hand for craftsmanship.. it seems like it’s been slowly bred out of the human race.. as we’ve been slowly domesticated
yes im sure its very alienating for most workers. like the woman who carefully paints the porcelain stoneware, yet she cannot even afford something that she helped create
Bla bla
Business Insider really hit the jackpot with this series. So great to watch
And everyone tell the same thing why they are expensive. When people buy things that are better, they start to get mass produced which brings cost down. But then there are some products noone buy, ramping up the cost for rich people to buy.
If I show a king a porcelain plate and a more cheaper mobile phone, he will buy mobile phone.
@Dr. Irina Luminesk Why would a king not be in the market for both? In fact why would a king be thrifty at all?
@Dimitri
I don’t know if you are kidding.
But if you are serious, then that wasn’t my point. If I compare electrons from planets for simplicity, don’t start to imagining that there might be life on electrons too.
@Dr. Irina Luminesk poor example, he is right. a king wouldnt have to choose, and indeed, his access to wealth means he could easily WANT something artisinal like a dish, vs a cheap phone.
really confusing example, ‘doctor’
Such beautiful pieces. Really appreciate business insider for creating these educational and interesting series on hand crafts that dates back hundreds of years.
The artists puts in so much dedication to their work. and they create the most elegant and delicate pieces for us to enjoy.
The businesses showcased in these videos should have links to their websites in the description so we can support them and so they may also profit from this series. Seems fair.
@abraham narvaez good
@AKei Web sites change URLS over time too, just because a link works today doesnt mean it will next summer, and if the link comes up 404 not found, the person might assume they closed up and went out of business, its just so much better to just put the name out and let people google for the CURRENT info and links
@Gerydome there are many people who are interested in such arts and crafts and would love to support it.
They know we have the complaint and they dont care.
đŻ
Was anyone else thinking for all the work that goes into it, the price is still pretty reasonable??? I would price the plate for $400 at a hundred dollars more.
You know I wish there was a “why is it so cheap” series as I’m shocked that corn etc is so cheap
Government subsidies (biofuel/crop insurance/etc.) and the resulting ‘over supply’.
one of the factor could be explotation of local farmers (in the case of chocolate, bananas for example)…the reasons wont be as pretty as these series
There’s actually a few videos about “Why is it so cheap” like palm oil and air travel!
My favorite part of this series is when you interview artisans who have been doing their work for decades upon decades. Hearing someone talk about the intricacies of their craft that they only couldâve learned from doing it that long is super interesting
Made me sad when the artist couldn’t afford to buy the 100g of paint. They do all this work and can’t afford some nice things for themselves.
Would be interesting to have one to show how it is done in China and another to compare how porcelain art has evolved over the centuries from its invention in China, to its current form all over the world.
I find it impressive the shop existed for 200 years, and they are planning hundreds of years ahead
@Aslamstudio it absolutely will. However, I am willing to bet that people from this line of work will move to another planet, learn something unique about the soil on that planet, and create a new type of porcelain that will also be beautiful. These people are innovators.
The old imperial porcelain capital of China, Jingdezhen, was given special patronage by the various imperial houses of China starting in the early 11th century. The potters there still handmake porcelain in much the same fashion as they once did centuries ago. They even survived the Cultural Revolution by diversifying from artisanal porcelain wares to making trinkets bearing Maoist slogans lol. There’s also a 600-hundred-year-old wood-fired kiln that has been in continuous operation since the early Ming dynasty in one of the porcelain ‘factories’
@beepybeetle im just surprised shops like these last for so long
@Aslamstudio it’s definitely no fluke. the porcelain community at Jingdezhen in particular received nigh on a millennia of official patronage, support, and administration from the imperial court of the chinese empire and was world renowned for quality, craftsmanship, and beauty. chinese imperial and export wares made at jingdezhen spawned imitation ‘chinese’ wares from japan to the americas. even after the empire fell, Jingdezhen kept its porcelain tradition alive into the modern day. there are plenty of other places with great artistic or cultural traditions which have survived for centuries.
Absolutely stunning! I would love to own some of this fine China with traditional and modern designs one dayđ
When I had my kitchen gutted and redone by a home construction guy, I went to an area in NYC close to an area called âCollege Pointâ that has many Chinese owned Businesses that specialized in selling wall tiles and floor tiles and real wood kitchen cabinets and I went to Home Depot and Lowes. The best floor tiles I brought were the âPorcelain Floor Tilesâ durable and beautiful with a nice light tan color and to this day they have kept up with all the wear and tear a kitchen floor normally receives. The sales lady that I brought them from could hardly speak a word of English, But by the look at the number of invoices sitting on her desk, I would say she is doing just fine. A quality product will sell itself.
I appreciate this series, but I’d also like to see a “Why is X so cheap?” Because I definitely think when watching this, “wow, but I see similar pieces sold for a lot less money” – probably a mix of worse quality, poor labor practices,and factory production. I’m sure that it would be an eye-opening look into the less-artisan, less-sustainable kind of products that we are much more likely to buy than a handmade piece of porcelain. Not because I think this porcelain isn’t worth the money, but because it makes me think that the cheap products are probably worth more than they’re charging us too.
I love the traditional style over the modern. So intricate and beautiful. You can see all the hard work that goes into each piece.
I work for a pottery studio and yeah! this stuff takes a ton of work. We make stoneware and, every so often, porcelain too. Underglazing and carving designs into the clay is almost always the reason its gets expensive. Fine detail work takes a lot of time, especially if you need to replicate it over and over with a high degree of accuracy.
I took ceramics in high school and found it moderately enjoyable. When I went off to college and needed some electives (still no clue why colleges require electives, money probably) I took up ceramics again. On my 2nd year we worked with porcelain. Let me tell you it is an understatement the difference in feel when molding the clay. I was use to a certain type of brown clay (I dont remember clay names im no expert haha) when we moved to porcelain I felt like I had to relearn everything. Took me a whole year to make a functioning, well balanced bowl. I still have it and love it.
Awesome. I admire the authenticity in your comment and have subscribed.
I imagine when you hold a Christofle porcelain plate in your hands your heart beat goes up (mine does.)
Thank you for that look into how porcelain tableware is made . When people buy from a retail store they can’t see first hand the artisanry and skill required to produce such beautiful porcelain wares. Knowing its history and provenance make it that much more valuable to collectors and consumers alike .