Alabastrite
Product line name for polyresin items. Alabastrite is a stone-based material that can be intricately molded and will allow paint to adhere. Cold-cast. Clean by dusting; do not wash with water.

Hong Tze
To closely emulate a special stone found in China which is known for its deep red color, these items are created using an alabastrite polyresin. Hong Tze pieces are highly polished, further bringing out the intense deep red color.

Porcelain
Fine ground white clay, molded and fired in an oven for eight hours at 1200 degrees. Finished with a glazed, under-glazed, or "bisque" finish. Glazing produces a high gloss; under-glaze produces a matte finish. Bisque is a matte finish without glaze. After finishing, the item is "cooked" for six hours at 800 degrees.

Jade Porcelain
Jade porcelain is a type of porcelain made with a finer clay. Usually no glaze or only a colorless glaze will be applied at the final firing to show off the very smooth surface and to preserve the translucency. Jade Porcelain is used for night lights because of its high degree of translucency when lit.

Stoneware
White clay with fine ground stone. Working with stoneware demands great expertise, and is in fact becoming a lost art. Stoneware is safe to use in microwave and conventional ovens.

Patchwork
European designer fabric is stretched over Ceramic figurines, then coated with twelve layers of lacquer. Each application of lacquer is hand polished, for a rich shine and an ultra-smooth finished texture. The texture of the final pieces, not felt, because of the twelve layers of lacquer covering them.

Cubic Zirconia
The most successful simulated diamond. Properties such as refraction, hardness, and specific gravity are remarkably similar to diamonds. Cubic zirconia are very hard to distinguish from diamonds; sometimes a jewelers loop will be needed to see the difference.

Diamond
Extremely hard, highly refractive colorless or white crystalline of carbon. Diamonds, like all gemstones, are judged in terms of Carats, or weight (different from Karats, as in gold purity).

Gold
The ultimate precious metal. Virtually indestructible, amazingly malleable, doesn't rust or tarnish. Graded by purity; in the U.S. a scale of 24 is used, so 24 Karats (24K) is 100% pure. 18K is 18 parts gold and 6 parts alloy (other metals), and so on. 10K is the legal minimum for Karat-graded gold. The word "Plumb" indicates the exact purity of the piece.

Gemstones
Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, often treasured as birthstones. Gemstones are priced and graded by Carat weight.

Pearl
Smooth, lustrous, variously colored and round...pearls are formed as deposits around a grain of sand in certain shellfish. They may be formed naturally or "Cultured" through an artificial implanting process.

Sterling Silver
To qualify as "sterling" a given piece must be composed of at least 92.5% pure silver.

Bone China
White clay with bone ash added. Bone ash content must be at least 25% by U.S. guidelines. Fired at 1800 degrees. The translucent material is finished with a glaze or under-glaze (matte). Lighter, stronger, more expensive than porcelain.

Frosted Acrylic
Acrylic items are given the French Lilac process, (used on glass), to achieve the distinctive frosted look. Example: # 27205. The drama of frosted glass without the weight.

Gypsum
Gypsum is made from a white mineral which is usually used to make Plaster of Paris.

Dolomite
Usually gray, pink, or white mineral, essentially used as a construction and ceramic material, a furnace refractory, and in fertilizer. A magnesia-rich sedimentary rock resembling limestone.