Where Glaze Colours Come From
Photo: Tasha Kostyuk / Unsplash
The colours in a glaze come from metal oxides — naturally occurring minerals added in small amounts. Cobalt produces deep, classic blues. Iron, the most versatile of all, can give honey ambers, soft celadon greens or rich tortoiseshell browns. Copper turns greens and turquoise; tin and zirconium give soft whites.
What makes glaze endlessly fascinating is that the result depends on so much more than the recipe. Firing temperature, the thickness of application, and the atmosphere inside the kiln can all push the same minerals toward wildly different colours.
Our glaze team treats this like a craft of its own — weighing minerals precisely, testing on tiles, and keeping detailed notes so the colours you love can be made again and again.
