Alabastrite
Alabastrite is our product line name for polyresin items. Alabastrite is a stone-based material which can be intricately molded producing great detail, and will allow paint to adhere. These items may be cleaned by dusting, however, they should not be washed 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, and 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. |
Patchwork
Items
Unique fabric or paper prints are applied to the surface
of porcelain, dolomite or polyresin items. After application,
12 layers of lacquer are added and the item is hand polished
to a high gloss between each layer. |
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. |
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). |
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. |
Gemstones
Rubies, sapphires, emeralds and amethysts, often treasured
as birthstones, fall under the category of gemstones. (Birthstones
will be listed on a separate page for your reference soon.) Gemstones are
priced and graded by Carat weight |
Pearl
A smooth, lustrous, variously-colored deposit formed around
a grain of sand in the shell of a certain mollusk. Pearls
may be formed naturally or "cultured" through an artificial
implanting process. |
Sterling
Silver
To qualify as "sterling" a given piece must be composed
of a least 92.5% pure silver. |
Hong
Tze
To closely emulate a special stone found in China which
is known for its deep red color, these items are created
using an alabastrite polyresin. Hong Tze pieces are highly
polished, further bringing out the intense, deep red color.
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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. |
Gypsum
Gypsum is a white mineral which is usually used to make
Plaster of Paris. |
Dolomite
A magnesia-rich, sedimentary rock resembling limestone,
dolomite is either gray, pink or white in color. |
