What is Ceramic Glaze?

Ceramic Glaze is used as a decorative element to Ceramic bisque, and also it performs the important function of making the clay pottery vitreous (or non-porous). Ceramic glaze is made up primarily of silica and a combination of sodium, potassium, calcium, alumina and metal oxides. Colorant minerals are used to gain brilliant fired colors such as copper carbonate, tin oxide, zirconium oxide and many others. The glaze is applied traditionally in a liquid form with water being a suspender of the minerals. As the ceramic glaze slurry is applied to the pottery (through dipping, spraying or brushing), the dry glaze mixture will form on the surface of the bisque pottery. The bisque pottery is then fired in a kiln to a temperature where the flux mixture in the glaze will reach a melting point and allow the glaze to become a liquid form; thus bonding at the molecular level.

When the kiln is cooled and drops below the melting point of the glaze mixture the glaze has molecularly bonded to the surface of the bisque pottery and also within its own body. The dried granular mixture before firing now becomes one solid glass type surface that allows the pottery to be functional and also a wonder to behold. The forming of bisque pottery along with artistic expression of colored glaze onto pottery is one of the oldest art forms known to man. Yet every ceramic glaze firing is a true wonder and one that will always have a magical result, no matter how advanced society will become.

To view our glaze and underglaze selection, click here.