Crystal glaze
Crystal glaze on an object by Angelika and Gerd Panten.
Like flowers and stars.
Crystal glazes are glazes in which crystals grow in the glaze during the firing process. They form during the cooling process and solidify with the glaze. Star-shaped, flower-like, and often a different color than the rest of the glaze, they seem to bloom deep inside the glaze and on the surface. Crystal glazes are best suited for risk-taking alchemists. The production is extremely complex, as is the entire manufacturing process. All the materials and operations can tip the scales.
The formation of the crystals is based on a glaze with a high zinc oxide content, which is coloured with various oxides. But also the type of glaze application, the heating speed, the choice of raw materials, to name but a few, and even the type of clay from which the ceramics were made are important for success.