REDEFINING LUXURY

What is the Difference Between Handmade Porcelain Tableware and Machine-Made Porcelain?

By Sarah-Linda Forrer

When choosing high-quality porcelain tableware, you may come across terms like "handmade Limoges porcelain" and "Limoges porcelain." Both are associated with exceptional craftsmanship and beauty, yet the way they are produced differs significantly. This article explores the differences between truly handmade porcelain and machine-made or machine-assisted porcelain, to help you appreciate the artistry and labor behind each process.

Limoges porcelain has long been associated with luxury, fine craftsmanship, and exceptional quality. While all authentic Limoges porcelain originates from the Limoges region in France and is crafted from high-quality kaolin clay, not all Limoges porcelain is made the same way. The main distinction lies in whether the pieces are truly handmade or machine-assisted.
Handmade pieces carry the artist's touch

To learn more about how our porcelain is made:

Watch the video to see the process, and scroll down to read more about every step.

TV5 Monde came to film our manufacturing process at the Limoges factory, highlighting the different stages of porcelain creation.

What Is Handmade Porcelain?

Handmade porcelain tableware is crafted using traditional techniques that require a high level of skill, patience, and time. From shaping the raw clay to the final firing, each step is done by hand, making every piece unique. The process often includes:

  • Hand-Throwing, Pressing or Casting: When made by hand, artisans can shape the porcelain on a potter’s wheel, by hand-pressing it into form or by slip casting into a mold. 
  • Hand-Trimming and Finishing: Edges are refined by hand to achieve the desired shape without traces of casting.
  • Hand-Painting and Decoration: Each piece is painted or glazed manually, ensuring one-of-a-kind variations.
  • Multiple Firings: Handmade porcelain is fired at high temperatures multiple times, to achieve its final form and durability.

The result is a piece that carries the artist’s touch, small variations, and a level of individuality that industrial processes cannot replicate.

Our Handmade Approach: A Balance Between Tradition and Technique

In our case, our pieces are crafted using a meticulous process that blends traditional handmade methods with technique. Every form and model is first sculpted by hand by founder Sarah-Linda Forrer, ensuring a unique artistic touch from the very start. Rather than using industrial machines, we rely on plaster molds for slip casting, a technique that allows for consistency while maintaining the artisanal nature of each piece.

This is what the process looks like:

  • Hand Sculpting the Model: Each shape is designed and sculpted by hand using clay or wax, before making the plaster mold. This initial mold is used to create the first samples and refine the design. Once finalized, a stronger "mother mold" is created, which serves as the master for producing multiple production molds. These production molds are then used for casting the final porcelain pieces.
  • Plaster Mold Casting: Liquid porcelain (slip) is carefully poured into plaster molds. Unlike industrial slip casting, we do not use pressure casting or automated systems; instead, every step is done manually, allowing for subtle variations that make each piece unique.
  • Hand Finishing: Once the piece is released from the mold, it is meticulously trimmed, refined, and smoothed by hand, ensuring an organic feel.
  • Hand-Glazing and Decoration: Each piece is glazed and decorated manually, preserving its individuality.
  • Multiple Firings:
  • First Firing (Bisc Firing): 900ºC to harden the raw clay before glazing.
  • Glazing and High-Temperature Firing: 1400ºC to vitrify the porcelain and achieve its signature translucency and durability.
  • Optional Decoration and Additional Firing: 800–900ºC for added details such as gold or platinum decor

This approach results in porcelain that carries the soul of the artist while maintaining a level of consistency that does not sacrifice individuality.

While all authentic Limoges porcelain originates from the Limoges region in France, not all Limoges porcelain is made the same way

Machine-Made Limoges Porcelain: Efficiency and Consistency

Modern techniques allow for Limoges porcelain to be produced more quickly and in greater quantities. These pieces are still made from fine Limoges kaolin clay and maintain high quality, but the process is far less reliant on human craftsmanship.

Instead, it follows an industrialized production process, which typically includes:

  • High-Pressure Slip Casting: A more industrialised version of slip casting, where liquid porcelain is injected into resin molds under pressure, reducing drying time and increasing uniformity.
  • Isostatic Pressing: Used for flatware such as plates, this technique involves pressing powdered porcelain into molds under high pressure, ensuring precise shapes. 
  • Jiggering and Jollying: A semi-automated process for shaping plates and bowls, where a rotating mold shapes the piece as a mechanical arm smooths it.
  • Automated Finishing: Edges are machine-trimmed for perfect symmetry.
  • Printed or Stenciled Decoration: While some Limoges pieces feature hand-painted details, many use transfer decals for efficient design reproduction.

Machine-assisted production speeds up the process significantly, making these pieces more affordable while still maintaining the refined look of Limoges porcelain. However, they lack the organic variations and artisanal character of the handmade approach.

Precision vs. Craftsmanship

Our porcelain is positioned between these two worlds. We use slip casting for structural consistency, and every other step, from model creation to finishing and decoration, is done by hand, ensuring each piece retains its artistic uniqueness. Unlike fully industrial methods, our work is never calibrated by machines, allowing for slight variations that reflect the craftsmanship behind each item.

It is important to note that both types of porcelain products can be of excellent quality. The difference lies in the level of human involvement in the process. Handmade porcelain pieces are deeply personal, often carrying the marks of the artisan’s hands, while machine-made porcelain is prized for its precision and accessibility.

ForArt de la Table lovers seeking tableware with a story, texture, and an organic aesthetic, our handmade process is the perfect choice. Those who prefer a more polished, symmetrical, and industrially refined look may find machine-made porcelain more suitable.

Both approaches contribute to the legacy of Limoges porcelain, ensuring that this prestigious tradition continues to be appreciated by collectors and enthusiasts alike.

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