Question about “crazing”

Hi there all. My question is how do most people feel about “crazing” on plates, pottery ect… I think it look very cool but I’ve come to find out some don’t like it. Is it bad? Is there a way to prevent this in older pieces? Thanks everyone.

 

That depends, some items such as Japanese Satsuma ware are supposed to be crazed. If you find Coalport china from the mid 19th century badly crazed it's best not to buy it as it can have a tendency to form into cracks and sometimes even fail completely. As a general rule if the item is not supposed to have crazing then it depends on how much the crazing affects the aesthetic as to how much value it will lose.

On some early pieces of European pottery you can't really find them without crazing or damage so the market accepts this as the norm.

Crazing is caused by the glaze expanding and contracting at a different rate to the body, so keeping a piece at a stable temperature is the best way to prevent or reduce the chance of crazing happening. Definitely avoid temperature extremes such as keeping pieces in a loft or next to a radiator or heat source. Once crazed it cannot be uncrazed.

 

It also depends on whether a piece is decorative or utilitarian. If it's meant for use, crazing commonly leads to staining.