Alabastrite
Product line name for polyresin items. Alabastrite is made
from oxylite and polystone which forms a stone-based material that can be intricately
molded and will allow paint to adhere. Cold-cast. Clean by dusting; do not wash with water
as they are painted with water soluble paints.
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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.
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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.
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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. Jade Porcelain
is used for night lights because of its high degree of translucency when lit.
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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.
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Patchwork
European designer fabric is stretched over Ceramic figurines, then
coated with twelve layers of lacquer. Each application of lacquer is hand-polished, for a
rich shine and an ultra-smooth finished texture. The texture of the
fabrics can only be seen in the final pieces, not felt, because of the twelve layers of
lacquer covering them.
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Cubic Zircon
The most successful simulated diamond. Properties such as
refraction, hardness, and specific gravity are remarkably similar to diamonds. Cubic zirconia are very hard to distinguish from diamonds; sometimes a jewelers
loop will be needed to see the difference.
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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).
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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.
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Gemstones
Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, often treasured as
birthstones. Gemstones are priced
and graded by Carat weight.
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Pearl
Smooth, lustrous, variously colored round gemstone originally formed
as a deposit around a grain of sand in the shells of certain shellfish. Pearls may be
formed naturally or "Cultured" through an artificial implanting process.
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Sterling Silver
To qualify as "sterling" a given piece must be composed of
a least 92.5% pure silver.
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Hong Tze
Items are created using a special stone found in China, and known
for its deep red color. The stone is pulverized, mixed with a binding agent and
molded, much like alabastrite. Hong Tze pieces are highly polished,
further bringing out the intense deep red of the stone.
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Frosted Acrylic
Acrylic items are given the French Lilac process, (used on glass),
to achieve the distinctive frosted look. The drama of frosted glass
without the weight.
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Gypsum
Gypsum is made for a white mineral which is usually used to make
Plaster of Paris.
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Dolomite
Usually gray, pink, or white mineral, essentially used as a
construction and ceramic material, a furnace refractory, and infertilizer. A magnesia-rich
sedimentary rock resembling limestone.
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