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The word ceramic can be traced back to the Greek term keramos, meaning "a potter" or "pottery." Keramos in turn is related to an older Sanskrit root meaning "to burn." Thus the early Greeks used the term to mean "burned stuff" or "burned earth" when referring to products obtained through the action of fire upon earthy materials (Report of the Committee on Definition of the Term Ceramics;" Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol. 3, No. 7, July 1920, pp. 526-542).
Ceramics are typically produced by the application of heat upon processed clays and other natural raw materials to form a rigid product. Ceramic products that use naturally occurring rocks and minerals as a starting material must undergo special processing in order to control purity, particle size, particle size distribution, and heterogeneity. These attributes play a big role in the final properties of the finished ceramic. Chemically prepared powders also are used as starting materials for some ceramic products. These synthetic materials can be controlled to produce powders with precise chemical compositions and particle size.
The next step is to form the ceramic particles into a desired shape. This is accomplished by the addition of water and/or additives such as binders, followed by a shape forming process. Some of the most common forming methods for ceramics include extrusion, slip casting, pressing, tape casting and injection molding. After the particles are formed, these "green" ceramics undergo a heat-treatment (called firing or sintering) to produce a rigid, finished product. Some ceramic products such as electrical insulators, dinnerware and tile may then undergo a glazing process.
Clay is one of the oldest of all craft mediums and dates back to prehistoric cultures. Originally forms were built up free-hand or on simple mold and dried in the sun. A variety of outer coatings were added to minimize porosity. With the discovery of fire, it was found that by placing clay vessels on a bed of coals they became much less fragile and, in turn, able to withstand heat.
Ceramics is the most popular of all handcrafts in the U.S.A., on both professional
and avocational levels. Pottery has seen a phenomenal growth since the end of
the Second World War. The growing interest in handcraft, not just pottery, is
the result of our need for individual element, the human touch, in this age
of mass production and standardization.
Many potters ask themselves the confusing question: why produce tableware in
this age of mass production, when nice industrial cups and plates are sold for
low prices? The legitimacy of the hand made pottery comes from the uniqueness,
and the special input that the potter puts in his creation. The integrity that
the potters put in their work gives it its charm and beauty.