china figurine - faulty or not?

china figurine - faulty or not?:- hi if there is a loose piece of china and it rattles if you gently shake it ,is it faulty because it must have been obvious during the manufacturing process and would this detract from its value?

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Reply by Tony (admin)

To:- china figurine - faulty or not?

I am guessing that you are talking about a china figurine or other small china decorative piece.

The rattle is due to a small piece of clay that must have stayed inside the hollow china figurine when it was originally made. When a piece is made from several different parts, the maker has to cut away the excess clay from the mould and then join the pieces with liquid clay (called 'slip').

Sometimes a tiny slither of the clay being cut away falls inside the hollow unfired china. Because the clay is damp at this stage, it can temporarily stick to the inside. It might stay
fixed during the firing and come loose later. This is what rattles.

I do not think that it should affect the value of the piece. It may be possible to gently shake the little piece of clay out if you hold your china so that the hole is underneath. It is not a problem like having a chip out of your item.

Unless you want to sell your china figurine, maybe you should not worry too much and simply enjoy it. In some ways you have a slightly unusual version that is more interesting.

Tony