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How to Tell the Difference Between Porcelain & Ceramic Figurines

Porcelain falls under the category of ceramics, which includes pottery, bone china, and earthenware. Porcelain includes a mixture of kaolin, a white clay, and petuntse, a feldspar mineral from China, that is fired at nearly 2600 degrees Fahrenheit. Ceramic, on the other hand, is composed of a hard, brittle material produced from nonmetallic minerals. The average figurine collector can tell the difference by looking at their look, feel, and sound.

Things You'll Need

Porcelain figurine
Ceramic figurine

Instructions

- 1
  Hold each figurine up to the light and wave a finger back and forth behind it. The porcelain figurine will allow the shadow of your finger to pass through it, because of its translucence. Ceramic is completely opaque.
- 2
  Run a finger over the surface of each figurine. The porcelain figurine will feel fine and smooth, like the surface of an egg shell.
- 3
  Carefully examine the appearance of each figurine. Porcelain tends to have a thinner, whiter, and more delicate appearance than ceramic. If both figurines are white, note which figurine has more gloss. The fusion of petuntse and kaolin in porcelain gives it this glossy, glass-like appearance.
- 4
  Strike both figurines softly with a fingernail. The ceramic figurine will make a dull sound, while the porcelain figurine will produce a bell-like ring when struck.

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