About
our Product Quality
All
of our beautiful products have been crafted by talented designers
and artisans from all over the world. Every item is made with exceptional
care using top quality materials.
Materials
include: Alabastrite,
Bone China, Porcelain, Jade Porcelain, Stoneware, Patchwork, Hong
Tze, Frosted Acrylic, Gypsum, Dolomite, Mango Wood and Teak Wood.
Hand-crafted
and/or hand-painted items may vary slightly in color or size when
compared to photographed samples shown on our catalogs. Figurines,
carvings and other hand-painted items (i.e. porcelain, alabastrite,
ceramic, wood, stone, glass, etc.) are individually created by a diverse
group of artists and artisans. Each brings an individual and personalized
talent to his or her work, making these products truly one-of-a-kind
collectors' items.
Although
we contract with our manufacturers and suppliers for specific models,
designs, etc. as shown in the photos, minor manufacturing design changes
may occur from time to time. 500c.com has no control over minor variations.
We reserve the right to update model designs, substitute models or
colors, and fulfill orders with equivalent merchandise whenever these
changes represent an equal or better value for our customers.
Alabastrite
Alabastrite
is our product line name for polyresin items. Alabastrite is a stone-based
material which can be intricately molded producing great detail, and
will allow paint to adhere. These items may be cleaned by dusting,
however, they should not be washed with water as they are painted
with water soluble paints.
Bone
China
White
clay with bone ash added. Bone ash content must be at least 25% by
U. S. guidelines. Fired at 1800 degrees. The translucent material
is finished with a glaze or underglaze (matte). Lighter, stronger,
more expensive than porcelain.
Porcelain
Fine
ground white clay, molded and fired in an oven for eight hours at
1200 degrees. Finished with a glazed, underglazed, or "bisque"
finish. Glazing produces a high gloss; underglaze produces a matte
finish. Bisque is a matte finish without glaze. After finishing, the
item is "cooked" for six hours at 800 degrees.
Jade
Porcelain
Jade
porcelain is a type of porcelain made with a finer clay. Usually no
glaze or only a colorless glaze will be applied at the final firing
to show off the very smooth surface and to preserve the translucency.
Example: 27112. Jade Porcelain is used for night lights because of
its high degree of translucency when lit.
Stoneware
White
clay with fine ground stone. Working with stoneware demands great
expertise, and is in fact becoming a lost art. Stoneware is safe to
use in microwave and conventional ovens.
Patchwork
Items
Unique
fabric or paper prints are applied to the surface of porcelain, dolomite
or polyresin items. After application, 12 layers of lacquer are added
and the item is hand polished to a high gloss between each layer.
Hong
Tze
To
closely emulate a special stone found in China which is known for
its deep red color, these items are created using an alabastrite polyresin.
Hong Tze pieces are highly polished, further bringing out the intense,
deep red color.
Frosted
Acrylic
Acrylic
items are given the French Lilac process, (used on glass), to achieve
the distinctive frosted look. Example: 27205. The drama of frosted
glass without the weight.
Gypsum
Gypsum
is a white mineral which is usually used to make Plaster of Paris.
Dolomite
A
magnesia-rich, sedimentary rock resembling limestone, dolomite is
either gray, pink or white in color.
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