Crystal Incandescence Vase

My crystal incandescence vase was hand made from porcelain. It has an exquisite crystalline glaze on its external surface with large, silvery/pewter crystals with almost metallic turquoise centres, and a clear, glossy liner glaze on the interior. I think this may be the most beautiful piece I’ve ever made!

Crystalline glazes are a specialized glaze which must be measured out extremely accurately from a variety of raw materials. During a very long and hot glaze firing (1300 degrees Celsius), zinc silicate crystals form on the piece. The glaze is designed to be very runny as this assists in the growth of the glossy crystals. To avoid the pieces from bonding to the kiln shelf, a ‘riser’ and ‘drip dish’ are made to match each piece and after the firing process are removed. This leaves a jagged edge, so I grind and sand each piece down with 5-6 different tools, until a baby-bottom smooth base is achieved. It is a very lengthy process with a comparably high failure rate, but I hope you agree that the results are worth it! To ensure the longevity of the glossy crystals, I recommend hand washing crystalline work.