A Guide To Wedgwood China
by
Max Bellamy ARTICLE REPRINTING IS PERMITTED
It all came about due to a cry from English housewives for more artful, cheaper, mass produced kitchen wares to serve their meals on and drink their mead from. That cry and the invention of the "transfer printing process" made inexpensive, artful plates, dishes and cups and saucers available to the public. Used by a handful of artists in 1756, it spread to other manufacturers and evolved into a more state-of-the-art process enabling manufacturers to produce more complex designs.
Ultimately it evolved to a point where double- and triple-applications were possible to make multi-colored, layered design patterns available. For some unknown reason, blue colors became the most popular and there is an interesting story behind that. The most popular of the blue colors is a design called Flow Blue. It is called that because it produces a pattern of blurry, runny figures blending into each other, producing a cosmic swirl. This came about because of a mistake at the kiln. When blue ink was used for a second and third firing, it could not withstand the additional heat and it ran. Originally, it was thrown out or taken home by employees. But when seen by others, it became popular and soon accounted for most of the production of the time.
It was not only the transfer process and the artistry of Josiah Wedgwood that made him the world's most famous potter of the 18th century. It was his marketing genius that separated him from the pack. Even back then, Josiah Wedgwood recognized the value of the celebrity endorsement. Long before every celebrity in the world had been used to hawk items on TV, Josiah gave a complete set of his Wedgwood Fine China to Queen Charlotte and immediately began billing himself as "Potter to Her Majesty." Of course, the demand for Wedgwood Fine China soared and Josiah was forced to do the only thing possible given the circumstances -- he raised his prices drastically and made a fortune.
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Wedgewood China provides detailed information about discontinued, antique, and discount fine china, plus fine china outlets, values, and history. Wedgewood China is affiliated with
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Fine China Additional Fine China Articles
The Value of Wedgwood China There is a line in the sand when it comes to placing a value on Wedgwood China and that line is 1949. After Josiah died, several generations of Wedgwood's sons and other relatives ran the business, which was never really the same.
A Brief History of Wedgwood China The story of the line begins in 1730 with the birth of Josiah Wedgwood. At six, Josiah was an apprentice. By 1760, Josiah had his own factory and had been experimenting with different formulas of porcelain, clays and glazes and technological advances in the art of transferring designs to the finished product.
A Guide to Wedgwood China Outlets There are recognized, factory-certified Wedgwood China outlets in many locations around the world for your shopping convenience. These places carry only Wedgwood China and anything you purchase there will be the genuine article, not a cheap reproduction, and its dating will be accurate.
The Value of Antique Wedgwood China Since the company is now slightly over 250 years old, anything made from year one to year 150 is now officially considered to be an antique. Antique certification begins for any item that can be verified to be at least 100 years old and since the Wedgwood Company keeps meticulous records on all of its designs, any piece of Wedgwood can be quickly, easily and accurately dated.
Where to Find Discount Wedgwood China There is not a lot of discount Wedgwood China available, although, given the prices of some of the items in the line, any discount is greatly appreciated. You might not think paying $50 for a plate is a discount, however, depending on the age of the particular item and the supply of pieces, $50 might seem like a discount. You might not think of it but not every design, not every creation from the Wedgwood Company has been a smash hit.
