The workshop where our S.M.L. candleholders come to life is located in Jingdezhen, a city in the Jiangxi Province, China, which is also known as the “Porcelain Capital of China”. The workshop makes different items out of porcelain – from tableware, to vases, and decorative objects. Each step to make our candleholders exemplifies a true spirit of craftsmanship and requires precision and skill.
The process is slow, and the candleholders are handled by several different craftsmen, each an expert in their profession.
S.M.L requires a combination of techniques such as slip casting, trimming, glazing, firing and application of gold or silver luster. The main body is formed by slip casting, where liquid porcelain called slip is poured into a two part plaster mould. The plaster mould expedites the drying process, as it soaks up some of the excess water from the porcelain slip. Separating the clay from the plaster mould at the perfect time is a skill – the clay must be almost completely hardened, yet still a bit moist. A second part must be cast at the same time which is the insert for the candle.
From this point, the insert is trimmed by hand using a hand-thrown pottery wheel and specially tailored tools whilst the body is being sponged and cleaned of any seam lines. The two parts are then carefully checked for an exacting fit and slight adjustment are made on each candleholder to ensure the parts fuse perfectly in firing.
The item is now ready for its first firing at low temperature – called bisque. Following the bisque, the items are sprayed with a clear glaze and fired a second time at a temperature above 1250℃.
For the gold and silver candleholders, the fired piece is then sprayed with a very thin coat of luster and undergoes a third low temperature firing which will melt the luster into the glaze for a beautiful mirror finish.
Finally, every single product is carefully inspected before being packed and made ready for retail.
The making of Song involves dedicated craftspeople located in Jingdezhen, porcelain capital of China, who helped us delve into China’s rich history of ceramics.
Inspired by their legacy and wealth of knowledge, we found inspiration in the designs of China’s Song Dynasty that were produced in Jingdezhen. The range exemplifies the era’s delicate beauty, with a distinct Latitude 22N twist. The large jadeite-green charger displays a hand-carved design of deer running through the forest, and dessert plates, dinner plate and deep dish continue the theme with a wistful, traditional Chinese pattern telling a story in celadon glaze.
Each piece of the Song collection is unique – rather than being mass produced, they are hand-carved in a family-run workshop, where “flaws” become badges of honor, to be flaunted as marks of exclusivity.
