Ceramic Production at Richard Ginori

Richard Ginori, Florence - Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
 
For the most of us who have taken mass pro, I think we all agree that Richard Ginori should be a priority stop for the 2nd year Spring trip (if not just to come to Florence). As for Remi and Justine, they are the two lucky first years that got a glimpse at the mass production of ceramic products. Well, we were all lucky to see behind the scenes in this expansive manufacturing plant.

Here's a little summary of what we saw:

Rotating mechanisms hold plaster molds which are filled manually with ceramic "slip". The molds must be constantly rotating as the centrifugal motion ensures even wall thickness.

Some examples of the many, many beautiful Richard Ginori products in various stages of production. 

Richard Ginori also creates scaled replicas of statues. To make something like this, it takes about 15 molded parts of different sections of the statue which are then glued together with ceramic slip (a thicker ceramic mixture that acts as an adhesive). When the statue is assembled, it is fired and shrinks about 12% (as does all other ceramic products).

Hand decorating the products takes a lot of skill and a steady hand - on top of twenty years of training. Where designs are added, a stencil is used to transfer the image on before painting.

Decorative rings are also hand painted onto cups and plates by placing the ceramics on rotating disks. Because these require more intensive labour and cannot be done by machines, they increase the price of each piece by 10%.

I think I can speak for everyone in saying that this was an amazing visit. To see this expansive factory that follows the flow of production from initial design, to mold making, to casting, firing and painting/finishing was a great experience.

Ruby, Xinran, Foong Ling

Keywords: Tradition