No doubt they tried all sorts of different mixtures, but eventually they hit upon a particular combination of kaolin and a few other ingredients, such as the minerals quartz and feldspar, which created a white clay and, when fired, a nice-looking white ceramic. This was no stronger than earthenware, but, unlike any other clay they knew, if they increased the temperature of the furnace to a very hot 1300°C, it did something strange. The clay turned into an almost watery-looking solid: a white ceramic that had a near perfectly smooth surface. It was quite simply the most beautiful ceramic that
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