Journal

Pouring hot water into a hand-painted blue lotus Dehua porcelain tea cup on a walnut tray
Brewing Better Tea: Small Habits, Big Difference
Warm the cup, get the temperature roughly right, steep short and often. Six habits that improve a cup of tea more than an expensive leaf does. Read more...
Porcelain vase packed in a recycled kraft gift box with a handwritten card and eucalyptus
How to Give Ceramics as a Gift (Without Getting It Wrong)
Five rules for giving porcelain that stays on the shelf instead of in the cupboard — by occasion, by budget, and why packaging is half the gift. Read more...
Matte porcelain, glossy glazed ceramic and stoneware vases compared side by side
Porcelain, Stoneware or Glazed Ceramic? How to Tell the Difference
Three white ceramics look identical in a store aisle. Here are the light test, the base test and the weight rule that tell them apart in under a minute. Read more...
Why Matte? The Case for Unglazed White
Why Matte? The Case for Unglazed White
Almost every porcelain you have ever seen is glossy. Purekiln pieces are not — the exterior is left unglazed, in a soft matte white. This is not an accident. It... Read more...
Blue and White: The Porcelain That Crossed the World
Blue and White: The Porcelain That Crossed the World
Few objects in human history have traveled as far, or meant as much, as blue-and-white porcelain. For six centuries, its cobalt patterns have moved from Chinese kilns to palaces, ships,... Read more...
Is Porcelain Dishwasher-Safe? A Straight Answer
Is Porcelain Dishwasher-Safe? A Straight Answer
Short answer: yes — if the porcelain was properly fired. Here is what that actually means, and what to check before you load your pieces. Why firing temperature matters Porcelain... Read more...
5 Ways to Style a Bud Vase
5 Ways to Style a Bud Vase
Bud vases are the smallest pieces of porcelain with the largest job: holding a single stem — or nothing at all — and still making a room feel considered. Here... Read more...
From Dehua to Your Home: How Purekiln Porcelain Is Made
From Dehua to Your Home: How Purekiln Porcelain Is Made
Every Purekiln piece begins in the same place: the kiln town of Dehua, Fujian, the historic home of Blanc de Chine. Here is how a lump of clay becomes the... Read more...
Caring for Your Porcelain: A Simple Guide
Caring for Your Porcelain: A Simple Guide
Purekiln porcelain is fired at 1300°C, which makes it dense, non-porous, and far more durable than most people expect. With a little care, it will serve your home for decades.... Read more...
The Story of Blanc de Chine: Five Centuries of Chinese White
The Story of Blanc de Chine: Five Centuries of Chinese White
Blanc de Chine — French for “white of China” — is the name European traders gave to the luminous white porcelain made in the mountain town of Dehua, Fujian province.... Read more...

The Journal

Stories from the Kiln

Five centuries of Dehua porcelain, translated for a modern shelf. History, craft, care guides and honest answers — 10 stories and counting.

History Craft Care Styling Gifting Shop the range →