Luel Restoration Studio

LUEL RESTORATION STUDIO — PORCELAIN AND CERAMIC RESTORATION EXPERTS

In Issue # 38 of Beijing Reivew (Sept. 17^th, 2008) there was an interesting article by  ZAN JIFANG  titled “In Pursuit of Porcelain”.  

We want to look at it from the point of view of Chinese porcelain repair professionals who have been involved in restoration and conservation of ceramic  and porcelain for the last  twenty-five years.

According to Mr. Jifang, “Traditional porcelain crafting has very specific areas of design. This allows each craftsman to become highly skilled in his area of expertise. From shaping and firing to painting, every part of the artwork requires a different pair of hands….Thus, a contemporary porcelain work has more continuity of design, as only one creator is involved throughout the process. Today’s collectors find this aspect more appealing than antique ones.”    

What makes Chinese porcelain valuable? Aside from the artistic value of the work, it’s the crafting process. “It basically takes 18 steps to finish a porcelain work. The process becomes more complicated if choosing the clay is included, “says Zan Jifang. “The work should also be associated with the time and reflect the time, which is also called the historic value of an artwork. Only a work that has both art value and historic value is worth investing in.”

A porcelain restorer is a craftsman and artist rolled into one. She has to know the history reflected in the work and the process involved in creating it. Mechanically matching and replicating the design won’t do it. Restoration and conservation process absolutely involves a historical knowledge and the skills that go into creating and designing a porcelain item. The only difference between creating a porcelain bowl/figurine/sculpture from scratch and restoring it is the flight of artistic imagination, which limits the restorer to work on what’s been given to her.

 Luba Sokolina, the restorer at Luel Restoration Studio, is a sculptor and designer, who’s familiar with Asian calligraphy and painting. If you have a valuable porcelain item that you want restored, contact us and we’ll be glad to work with you. We specialize in invisible and museum quality restoration and conservation. 

 Subject: Porcelain Restoration

Anyone who has an appreciation for art, craft and culture has at least several pieces of pottery or porcelain / china that he or she has acquired during travels to foreign lands or trips to local antiques stores. Some have inherited pottery vases, bowls or plates from their parents or favorite aunt or uncle. Often, the pieces that have been collected, sold, or passed on from generation to generation are affected by wear and tear and/or serious damage. Fortunately there are pottery and porcelain repair and restoration experts such as Luba Sokolina at Luel Restoration Studio who specialize in flawless, invisible pottery, ceramic, porcelain, majolica, clay and terra cotta restoration.
Read more…

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Eearlier this month Luba restored a beautiful Esther Marion piece, which is now on display at the Town Hall of the City of Turbeville, SC. Read more about it…

In the 16th century Europeans set out to discover the “secret” of true porcelain, which was popular in China. But they lacked the right ingredients, mainly “kaolin”, and instead experimented with various mixtures of clay and powdered glass. “Soft paste” porcelain is softer than “hard paste” porcelain because it’s fired at a lower temperature. Restoration of soft-paste” porcelain requires lots of patience and attention to detail because the glaze is clear and thick, it often forms in pools. The material is more fragile than hard-paste porcelain, so bonding the piece takes longer and requires a combination of various Epoxys. 

Contact Luel Restoration Studio for your porcelain and ceramic restoration needs. We provide free estimates and our restoraiton and repair turnaround time is around four weeks depending on the severity of the damage. 

What to Do for China, Porcelain, and Ceramic Repair. If your ceramic piece has cracked, do not pick up the Super Glue!  Store brand glues may keep the pieces together, many glues cannot be removed and makes a seamless, beautiful ceramic repair impossible.Patch-up jobs will decrease the monetary value of item and decrease the beauty of a cherished piece.  If you have an heirloom, art piece, or valuable piece that needs china, porcelain, or ceramic repair, follow these simple steps:1. Collect all the pieces! Easier for a ceramic repair artist to work with original pieces and less expensive to create a new piece. 2. Consult with a professional ceramic repair shop about the restoration of your item. Most shops offer free estimates. 3. Package your item properly.  Luel Restoration Studios advises on proper shipping in evaluating your project.

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Meissen Porcelain is created by Germany’s premier manufacturer of fine porcelain tableware, giftware and hand-painted porcelain. They have been in continuous operation since 1710 in the town of Meissen, fifteen miles northwest of Dresden, Germany.

Today, they produce more than 175,000 items from about 200,000 different forms – some forms dating back to the early eighteenth century.

Meissen Porcelain is sold worldwide, and Meissen Porcelain Incorporated, located in New York, distributes throughout the North American market.

The focus of Meissen porcelain production has always been quality. Meissen is dedicated to handcrafting and to a balance of tradition and innovation.

At Luel Restoration Studio, we have extensive experience in Meissen porcelain repair.  We combine the skills of craftsmanship with advanced technology to bring damaged porcelain back to life.

We have the great artistic skill and experience needed to bring your heirloom or special porcelain piece back to it former beauty and value, making cracks and chips invisible to the eye.  Often times, we create missing pieces to the amazement of the porcelain owner.  Sculpting by hand and flawless color match painting are our specialties.

Contact Luel Restoration Studio for your porcelain restoration.

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Your porcelain plate or antique breaks into several pieces … what to do?! Do not glue it yourself! Some of the most irreparable harm for a ceramic or porcelain repair is done by the owner.

You should be aware that some glues are impossible to remove. This make repair by Luel Restoration Studio difficult or impossible.

Different ceramic materials need different mending materials. Each repair situation calls for its own unique glue or mending material that can only be decided on by our experienced artist.

We use an incredible variety of materials, equipment and techniques that are dependant on the specific repair needed. Removing and repairing substandard gluing adds a significant amount of time, effort, and difficulty to the porcelain restoration process.

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