Pretty Inspired Living: August 2010

I always intrested in ceramic for home decor, some collection are unique and collectible. Iam so inspired by ceramic vintage collection from europe. But what exactly ceramic is?

Well, according Wikipedia, a ceramic is an inorganic, non-metallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling.^[1] Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous (e.g., a glass). Because most common ceramics are crystalline, the definition of ceramic is often restricted to inorganic crystalline materials, as opposed to the non-crystalline glasses.

The earliest ceramics were pottery objects made from clay, either by itself or mixed with other materials, hardened in fire. Later ceramics were glazed and fired to create a colored, smooth surface. Ceramics now include domestic, industrial and building products and art objects. In the 20th century, new ceramic materials were developed for use in advanced ceramic engineering; for example, in semiconductors.

The word ceramic comes from the Greek word "κεραμικός" (keramikos), "of pottery" or "for pottery",^[2] from "κέραμος" (keramos), "potter's clay, tile, pottery"^[3] which is said to derive from the Indo-European word *cheros (unattested), meaning heat.^[4]^[5] The earliest mention on the word "ceramic" is the Mycenaean Greek ke-ra-me-we, "workers of ceramics", written in Linear b syllabic script.^[6] Ceramic may be used as an adjective describing a material, product or process; or as a singular noun, or, more commonly, as a plural noun, ceramics.^[7]

Types of ceramic products

For convenience, ceramic products are usually divided into four sectors; these are shown below with some examples:

Structural, including bricks, pipes, floor and roof tiles
Refractories, such as kiln linings, gas fire radiants, steel and glass making crucibles
Whitewares, including tableware, wall tiles, pottery products, and sanitary ware
Technical, is also known as Engineering, Advanced, Special, and in Japan, Fine Ceramics. Such items include tiles used in the Space Shuttle program, gas burner nozzles, ballistic protection, nuclear fuel uranium oxide pellets, bio-medical implants, jet engine turbine blades, and missile nose cones. Frequently the raw materials do not include clays.^[8]

Classification of technical ceramics

Technical ceramics can also be classified into three distinct material categories:

Oxides: Alumina, zirconia
Non-oxides: Carbides, borides, nitrides, silicides
Composites: Particulate reinforced, combinations of oxides and non-oxides.

Each one of these classes can develop unique material properties because ceramics tend to be crystalline.

Here are some great example for Vintage Ceramic from Europe.