Hand-Decorated in Britain: A Disappearing Skill
I was up in Stoke last week visiting Paul's factory where my tableware is produced. While I was there I got to watch Nicky the decorator at work. It got me thinking about something I don't talk about enough.
How your mug gets its design
Each Jin Designs mug is hand-decorated in the UK from a screen print (also produced in Stoke). The design is transferred onto a special paper and then carefully applied to the fine bone china by a skilled decorator. This skill is called lithography. Sadly, the people who do this, and do it well, are becoming few and far between.
It's more involved than most people realise. Using a squeegee and a lint-free cloth, each decal is carefully positioned by eye onto the white bone china. Any trapped water or air has to be removed completely before the piece goes into the kiln - otherwise blow outs occur during firing and the piece has to go straight to seconds.
A dying skill
A lot of companies have moved production overseas for cheaper labour and lower costs. It's understandable I guess. But the sad thing is you lose the care and skill that has made Stoke and the Potteries world-renowned.
The decorators at Paul's factory have been doing this work for years. Nicky was one of the Wedgwood decorators before she worked on my tableware. She's very skilled. She's seen a lot of change over the years. One of the things she mentioned that was worrying is that there aren't many people coming through to take over from her, or replace her colleagues who have retired. It's a dying skill and that's no exaggeration.
So when you buy a Jin Designs mug, you're getting something quite special. Not many people realise they are still decorated by hand in the UK by a skilled lithographer. I'm glad - and rather proud - to share this with you. I just hope that between you and me, we can help this continue.
Jinny
Designer / Founder of Jin Designs
