Real Limoges Will Never Craze!

As you search online for that perfect piece of Limoges porcelain, make special note of the description details. As a quality conscious consumer, you should note any chips, cracks, repairs or wear. If a seller uses the term crazing to describe a piece of Limoges, BEWARE! Real Limoges will never craze.

Crazing is defined as a fine crackling visible on the surface of a dish; it allows dirt, dust, food particles, water and other ick to seep beneath the glaze and into the dish. Crazing begins as a few lines atop a dish, but can quickly become a network of tiny crackled lines as intricate as a spider's web. As moisture and dirt absorb into the dish, a stained and often moldy appearance develops, as seen in the photograph to the right.

Authentic Limoges porcelain is manufacuted in France by combining a perfect blend of ingredients, topped with a glaze. When baked at an extremely high temperature, the porcelain and glaze fuse into one solid piece, similar to a piece of glass. Like glass, real Limoges porcelain can crack or chip, but will never crackle or craze.

If you see the term "crazing" used to describe Limoges, you can bet the piece is either real Limoges sporting a crack or perhaps several cracks or simply not real Limoges.