What kind of material is the tea cups that look kind of pearly inside? china or porcelain??

Question

have a beautiful antique te set made in czechalsavakia and i dont know what to call it ....was under a bunch of junk on my grandmas back porch

Answer 1

In reality porcelain is a type of clay. It has a hotter melting temperature (or firing temperature than a clay like earthenware) is more durable and can be used on thinner pieces. It also has a translucency.

Now both china and porcelain have slightly different amounts and types of Kaolin.

From this site:

"China clay is kaolinised feldspar - they are highly valued for their whiteness, hence their use in bone china.

Pure kaolin is necessary for the manufacture of porcelain and other fine china; impure varieties are used in making pottery, stoneware, and bricks; as filler for pigments; and in the manufacture of paper."

But they aren't talking about the "pure porcelain" that  you would be thinking of in dinner ware. They are talking about porcelain in more technical uses which would have to be much purer. So basically what I am saying is that a whole lot of people/companies have intermingled the terms. If the pieces are not stamped one material or the other, I generally call more translucent pieces porcelain, and ones that are thin white and a bit more ( a tiny bit more) chalky on the unglazed rim or foot china. China is not as valuable as porcelain and the difference is the type of clay used.

From your description "pearly inside",  could be from a glaze finish or an over glaze and have nothing to do with the type of clay that was used.