Vintage Style Limited Edition Ephemeroptera English Fine Bone China Cup & Saucer

The salvaged saucers were the inspiration for this collaboration which highlights the plight of insects.  They have been re-fired with additions and married with a new matching cup.

The design on the cup puts the insects in the negative to show their loss, with different vintage butterfly transfers on the inside.

The centre of the saucer reads 'The present threat to mankind's survival can be removed only by a revolutionary change of heart in individual human beings'.

The underside of the saucer reads 'The world's insects are spiraling down the path to extinction, threatening a massive collapse of nature's ecosystems. More than 40% or insect species are declining and a third are endangered. we are losing 2.5% of total mass of insects a year. Unless we change our ways of producing food, insects as a whole will go down the path of extinction in a few decades with globally catastrophic repercussions. ' (Global Scientific Review 2019)

A limited edition of 86 bone china cups and saucers by CJ Slater.  

Product Care

Our china is decorated using hundreds of different transfers made at different times and from different factories. We ourselves are still exploring the possibilities and properties of the thousands of combinations. We don’t know all the answers but we can tell you what we have learnt: 

Modern dishwasher products have come a long way but prolonged use can cause a small amount of the glaze that covers the transfers to erode. Some of us have washed our china in the dishwasher daily for five years with no ill effect. Others have seen gradual matting of the glaze and in some cases fading of the transfer beneath. 

We know that thicker 1960’s transfers can be seen to erode quicker.   

We know that transfers with a large amount of reds, yellows and oranges are prone to fading.

Tea Stains

Tea stains are caused by a build-up of tannic acid. They can be worse if you live in a hard water area and take black tea. Luckily they are easily dealt with. We recommend getting rid of them by mixing Bicarbonate of Soda with vinegar and leaving to stand overnight. BANG! The tea stain is gone.