Kiln-Changed Ice Crystal Cups: A Wonderful Encounter Between Fire and Glaze, Creating Unique Births
When boiling water is poured into the cup, the ice crystal patterns on the glaze instantly "awaken", gradually blushing with iridescent hues from silvery white — this stunning visual effect stems from the perfect collision of nature and craftsmanship in the birth process of kiln-changed ice crystal cups. As vessels carrying the wisdom of Oriental ceramics, the birth of each ice crystal cup is an irreproducible "dance between fire and glaze".
Kiln change is a "natural magic" in ceramic firing: due to subtle fluctuations in temperature and atmosphere inside the kiln at high temperatures, the glaze color of porcelain undergoes unexpected changes. The birth of ice crystal cups takes this "magic" to the extreme. Their glaze is made by blending dozens of natural minerals; these minerals, like sleeping seeds, can only be awakened at temperatures above 1300℃ — they melt, flow, and crystallize, "growing" patterns of various shapes on the cup wall: some like first snow settling on the cup, some like ripples spreading on water, and some like flower buds just blooming. Every stroke is an impromptu creation of nature.
What’s even more amazing is that the birth of ice crystal cups is full of "uncertainty": even with the same raw materials and the same kiln, a 0.5℃ temperature difference, a slight change in airflow inside the kiln, or even a difference in humidity on the firing day will lead to drastically different crystallization results. This is the true meaning of the saying "Entering the kiln with one color, emerging with ten thousand hues", which also makes each ice crystal cup a unique one-of-a-kind piece — no two are exactly the same.
Today, Dehua in Fujian Province — known as "China's Porcelain Capital" — has become an important birthplace of kiln-changed ice crystal cups. Craftsmen here inherit the kiln-firing techniques of the Song Dynasty's Jian Kiln and integrate modern technology: they carefully select high-quality local porcelain clay, control the firing temperature with traditional dragon kilns or modern electric kilns, and go through repeated tests and adjustments. This ensures that each ice crystal cup retains the vitality of traditional kiln changes while possessing the delicate texture of modern utensils.
