Porcelain stamp’s colors (right) are more vivid than paper one.
Two items today!
The first one has to do with porcelain Chinese postage stamps (above). The limited edition stamps, which are made in 11 versions based on “world expo” themes, were released as a promotion for the 2010 China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Fair that wrapped up Oct. 22. Jingezhen, located in eastern China, claims to having been producing pottery for 1,700 years.
The China National Philatelic Corporation says it limited production to 10,000 sets of the stamps. The designs essentially duplicate those of stamps released since 2007, although another story seems to suggest that China’s postal system may have produced as many as a million units.
Each stamp is about 0.3 millimeter in thickness. Obviously, these aren’t meant for actual postage use but instead for interest among collectors. The philatelic company says each stamp is hand made. People’s Daily Online says the stamp makers use “a combination of patented ceramic technology, traditional craftsmanship and modern techniques.”
“Each of these ceramic stamps is unique in the world. It overcomes the limitation of paper stamps and shows the world the creativity of Jingdezhen as the ceramic capital of China in modern times,” says Liu Jingbo, director of the Jingdezhen Municipal Philatelic Corporation, in the PD story.
The second item, via Boing Boing, has to do with ceramic jewelry for scientists (men & women) from Etsy vendor Surly-Ramics. The artist, Surly, claims to be a huge fan of science and reason-based skepticism and makes pendants and bracelets that run in the $18-$20 range. Check ’em out.
