There's all sorts of unique materials in the earth that have allowed humans to form different tools, and other useful objects with unique designs that can be used in a variety of ways. One of these resources is ceramics. A ceramic is a nonmetallic, inorganic elements prepared by heating and cooling. Ceramics can date back to 24,000 B.C. Where they were said to first be founded in Czechoslovakia in the form of human and animal fat and bone ash material. It is said that the first ceramic product was produced around 9,000 B.C. Glass was discovered around 8,000 BC in Egypt when overheated kilns produced a colored glaze on the pottery. Ceramics are processed by taking earth's inorganic and nonmetallic materials, clay-like materials, powder and firing them up at certain temperatures, forming them into their final form which we see when we go to stores to shop for products.

There are two types of ceramics; crystalline and non-crystalline. Non-crystalline ceramics are classified to be products formed from melts, such as glass material. Non-crystalline ceramics are shaped when fully molten while a crystalline ceramic is formed during its powder-like stage then heated to form the final product. Whitewares, technical, structural, and refractories are four types of common ceramic products. Whiteware ceramics are products such as tableware, or pottery. Structural ceramics include pipes, floor and roof tiles, and bricks. Examples of technical ceramics are the nose cone of missiles, jet engine turbine blades, and gas burner nozzles. Refractory ceramics are used in linings for kilns, reactors, incinerators, and kilns. They are also used in glass making crucibles. Ceramics are even used in products we wouldn't even think it's used in. For example, ceramics can be used in ball bearings or in armored vests to improve the protection level of the vest against explosions and firearms. Some people even invest in ceramic knives because of the durability and longevity compared to a steel knife. Eventually, even gas turbine engines will have ceramic parts which will improve the performacne of the vehicle and allow for improved gas efficiency.

In order for a ceramic product to look the way it does in stores, a multiple step process is followed. The first step is clay preparation and finding a plastic clay body. This is usually bought from a ceramic supplier rather than digging for the clay material yourself. Then designers take the clay and begin the wedging process. This is done by hand by moving, rotating and pressing the clay ball on a table getting all the air bubbles from the material. If air bubbles are not removed, then it could explode once the heating process begins. After that, the product is formed by wheeling, coiling, molding, or pinching methods. During the drying process, the clay loses water and becomes harder and stiffer. Once this happens, the product is wrapped in soft sheets of plastic and placed in a damp room for few days until it becomes what they call leatherhard. This is the point where the product has become partially dry and is still flexible. This is the last chance where designers have a chance to re-shape the products form if necessary or carve and add material before it reaches its greenware stage. This is the stage where no flexibility in the product is available and it's now ready for the bisque firing stage. The product is place in the kiln at approximately 1800 degrees F for one of two firings. This process hardens the product. Firing the product fast could make the product explode so the firing process is done over a three day period. On day two, the product once again goes into the 1800 degrees F kiln. Once it is fired the kiln is turned off and the product is allowed to cool. On day three, the product is removed from the kiln and placed back in the lab for final production which is glazing processes. Coloring materials and water is applied to the product through dipping sponging, spraying, and brushing to give the pottery or product is unique beautiful design. Once glazing is done, then product is put back in the kiln for glaze firing which is up to 2350 degrees F. and then cooled and removed on day three.

When we study and research ceramics, we learn about previous cultures. Some of those cultures are the Greeks, Mayans, Korean and Chinese cultures. Sometimes, the glazing and paintings that are on the ceramics are representations of what is going on during that time of period. Some ceramic objects may have designs representing dance, and clothing rituals from eras such as the renaissance period or stone and iron ages. Many cultures expressed themselves through art and ceramic designs during those eras. The glazing and carving methods used on older model ceramics can lead to evidence of past ancestry and civilizations. Japan is known to have one of the oldest ceramic cultures in existence. It was believed that people used ceramics around 5000 years B.C.

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