Eggshell-thin teaware

[betta]

I moved out of my flat and an accident happened: a colleague broke my 80's jingdezhen dishes set as well as my teacups. The problem is: I can't find the set with 80's clay quality anymore.
Since then I've been looking for a good (with grade much better than those used in restaurant) but at a reasonable price jingdezhen dishes set and teacups, but I can't really find it online or in any shop here.

I came across an interesting example of jingdezhen eggshell porcelain teacup on ebay like this one.

I wasn't really convinced by the quality of the porcelain offered as one can see lots of dark dots (which I assume impurities) on it. Moreover the more for aesthetic rather than functional purpose.
Could anyone here help with any information or direct me to any online decent jingdezhen porcelain dishes and teacups vendor?
Thanks for any feedback.

[Jayaratna]

Hi Betta,

I have been watching this website for a long time. I really don't know how to buy from them, but I like many of their pieces:

http://www.jdzcq.com/





A

[chrl42]

that's Fen Cai (dyes on the glaze), Qing dynasty style

There are bunch of Jingdezhen porcelains in China, problem is there are often made thin and overseas delivery might cause breakage while shipping.

Or you may ask your local acquaintances using Chinese source

[Oni]

As a last resort may I suggest buying japanese porcelain, you can find very good quality online, and the they pack it good, with ems shipping and insured you can`t go wrong.

These are thin as an eggshell and light as a fether, kyoyaki porcelain, imari/arita, or kutani, they all produce exquisite porcelain (if you are willing to spend a fortune).

[betta]

@ Jayaratna:
Yes, I've seen their website as well. Similar to you, I've no idea how to get those stuffs from their web and now I don't have access to the local.

@ Chrl42:
Hi Charlie, thanks for your feedback. That would be one of the best solution but unlike in the past, now I don't have close contact with realiable chinese acquaintances. Sometimes I envy you for having direct access to all teas and teawares

@ Oni:
I've been eyeing also japanese teacups since that incident. Surprisingly there have been a few old japanese teacup sold on the net. Besides Toru-san from artisticnippon, do you have any suggestion where to get japanese teacups like those you posted?

[xuancheng]

Betta,

That cup looks nice. Could those black spots be dirt? It would be a shame to buy it and find they did not wash off. I was in Jingdezhen two weeks ago, and with even one of those little black spots the piece would be considered a second (as I am sure you know or would assume), and not worth anything close to 35 euros.

Have you ever used teaware that thin? It looks like it would transfer heat very quickly. I was tempted to buy a couple of eggshell pieces, but didn't see any that caught my fancy. Will eventually buy at least one for Chaozhou Dancong.

[Tead Off]

Betta, at the bottom of that page, http://www.jdzcq.com/, there is an email address. Try and write them and tell them what you want. See what happens.

I looked at some Jingdezhen porcelains this past weekend at an auction here in Bangkok. For late Qing dynasty gaiwan, a great one sold for about $250. By my standard, not expensive for what it was. Germany is full of auction houses and antiques shops. You should be able to find something if you begin looking. Nothing compares to the older ones. The Chinese were geniuses when it came to porcelain.

[wyardley]

The Tea Gallery gaiwans are pretty thin, though maybe a little shy of eggshell.

I would talk to Seb from Jing (the one in China). They carry one or two pieces of eggshell china, and can probably obtain more easily at the markets in Guangzhou.

[Oni]

My conception of great porcelain is that it needs to resist boiling hot water, some european porcelain breaks even at the sight of hot water so it is not suitable for gong fu cha, and they are shaped for diffrent pourpouse, and it needs to be thin, a porcelain is only elegant when it is thin and transparent and made of great kaolin, no black dots.
Dear Betta you should consider what you are trying to replace, and what will you use the porcelain ware for, if you are searching for a gaiwan, that needs to be chinese porcelain, japanese do not make classic chinese shaped gaiwans, but if you are looking for gong fu teacups, japanese rarely make small teacups separate, they usually sell it in a houhin or shiboradashi set, but I bought one and the cups are small enough to be used for oolong ( 30 ml, around 1 oz), and currently the highest grade porcelain in my collection.
Each porcelain producing region produces porcelain to be used in the a certain cultural enviroment, for example european porcelain dinnerware is produced to comfort the european (sometimes even regional) customs and habbits, so if you love chinese food and you want to impress your guests serve it in authentic chinese porcelain, or if you love japanese food serve it is the porcelain that is shaped for that pourpouse, so for gong fu cha I say buy Jindezhen.

[betta]

@ xuancheng:
thanks for giving the insight of reasonable price of it.
I guess those dots aren't dust. There're marks of paint as well. I haven't used particularly as thin as this one but similar to you, I also want to acquire one of it.
Some people mention aroma of floral tea served in teacup differs dependent on the thickness, perhaps you've heard and can elaborate more on that?

@ Tead Off:
Nice to find someone with common interest in Jingdezhen porcelain.

@ wyardley:
I've contacted Jing for it before; he's been travelling around in France so meantime I look somewhere else. I might go back to him if I can't find something meanwhile.

@ Oni:
Thanks for your suggestion. You're right, the japanese style cups I found so far have average diameter 3" and 2" height. They're too large for gongfu tea brewing.

[Oni]

I took some pictures about a family heirloome that is 150 years old handmade Meisen porcelain, the quality is from the good old days when everything was handmade by experts.

Super lightweight 50 ml cup.

Big cofee pitcher, light as a feather.

[betta]

I took some pictures about a family heirloome that is 150 years old handmade Meisen porcelain, the quality is from the good old days when everything was handmade by experts.

Oni, that's a nice thin porcelain. Old vintage teawares are most of the time of higher level than new ones.

[Oni]

This is handmade jinde porcelain for green tea, I bought it from www.funalliance.com , they sell a few other models as well, it holds max aroud 200 ml, these gaiwans are for green tea.

[bonjiri]

humbly

i think porcelain is over rated.

try holding a porcelain tea cup after the tea is poured out of the teapot. instant burning sensation is felt. u cannot grasp the teacup. period

my solution

double walled egg shell thin tea cups like this.

[scruffmcgruff]

humbly

i think porcelain is over rated.

try holding a porcelain tea cup after the tea is poured out of the teapot. instant burning sensation is felt. u cannot grasp the teacup. period

Just hold it by the rim, problem solved. I do it all the time. One benefit of eggshell porcelain is that it really doesn't hold much heat (though it will transfer heat quite well to your fingers if you hold the cup right by the hot liquid). Stoneware and thicker porcelain will be cooler at first, but will heat up the entire cup to the point where it is difficult to pick up, even at the rim.