Crown marks, typically found on the bottom of fine china items, are clues that help you determine the age and the manufacturer of each piece, as well as its country of origin.

How do you tell the age of a pottery?

To determine the age of a ceramic object, a sample is weighed and then heated to around 500 degrees Celsius. This removes the combined water from the sample, which is then weighed again. After that, the sample is exposed to moist air and the rate of mass gain accurately measured over a few days.