Our garden products are made from a variety of materials.  For the occasion that you may not know what an item's description means, we have provided for you here a glossary explaining each of the materials.

Alabastrite

Alabastrite is a polyresin and stone-based material which can be intricately molded producing great detail, and will allow paint to adhere. These items may be cleaned by dusting, however, they should not be washed with water as they are painted with water soluble paints. For our collection of Alabastrite items, we strongly suggest that a waterproof sealant is applied so they can be used inside or outdoors without any loss of their colorful beauty.  [Sealants are readily available at your local home improvement or hardware store.] 

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 underglaze (matte). Lighter, stronger, more expensive than porcelain.

Dolomite

A magnesia-rich, sedimentary rock resembling limestone, dolomite is either gray, pink or white in color.

 

Porcelain

Fine ground white clay, molded and fired in an oven for eight hours at 1200 degrees. Finished with a glazed, underglazed, or "bisque" finish. Glazing produces a high gloss; underglaze 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 Items

Unique fabric or paper prints are applied to the surface of porcelain, dolomite or polyresin items. After application, 12 layers of lacquer are added and the item is hand polished to a high gloss between each layer.

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.

 

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