How to Identify Bone China and Porcelain

Introduction

From our website, we found that many people are interested in identifying bone china and porcelain. They want to know how to tell the difference between them. In this article and video, we are going to share with you some tricks we use to, hopefully, they will help you. Let’s get started.

So in the below picture, there are some ceramic mugs, some are made of porcelain, some are of bone china. Let’s take a closer look, can you tell the difference? Ok, I will just reveal, the two with the gold-covered handle are porcelain mugs. And the one without handle, the rest are all bone china mugs. So, how to identify?

Method 1

The most common method we use is by using the torch on our phone. Everyone got the phone by the side, right? Now, take a close look. We will switch the torch on and Let’s put the torch underneath the mug, and see what will happen.

We can compare the two mugs’ looks. The porcelain mug looks dark overall, with some area relatively bright while the rest area is dark, it is the same with other porcelain mugs. When we try with a bone china mug, and you can see the difference, the whole mug is translucent, the light can go through the mug, giving the color of warm yellow. Let’s take a look with another mug and we find out it’s the same. This is the method that we usually use, you can try this method with your mug.

Method 2

Here comes the 2nd method, by listening to the sound when knocking on. First, hold the mug you want to identify on your palm, gently, not firmly, and use another mug to knock on it and listen carefully.
We can also use another mug to knock, and listen again to avoid mistakes.
When we knock the porcelain mug, the echo is short and the sound is sharp and strong, while when we knock on the bone china mug, the echo is long and sound is dulcet.

Method 3

The 3rd method would be comparing the weight, if we compare the same size, same shape bone china mug and porcelain mug, the mug that made of bone china would be much lighter, don’t take it wrong, the thinner one is actually stronger, as that’s the bone china’s feature, delicate and strong.

Method 4

Another way we usually use is by checking the appearance of the mug, bone china mugs are of high whiteness level, gives people a warm feeling, and it has a thinner texture than porcelain. It’s hard to pick up on video, you can check the below pictures.

Conclusion

A nice cup and saucer can make a cup of tea taste better, as when it comes to ceramic, the better choice is bone china. I hope the above article can help you with identifying bone china and porcelain. Leave me a message if you have related questions.

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