Creamware was first produced sometime around 1760. It’s production continues today. The good old creamware would date from 1760 through around 1810.
It was often unmarked, but if you see marks, they would include ‘LEEDS POTTERY’, ‘WEDGWOOD’, ‘DAVENPORT’, ‘SEWELL’, impressed numbers, and others.
All forms were made. Pearlware was made beginning around 1775 and still continues in production today. Both are Pottery, which means that they are not translucent, i.e. you cannot see through the piece.
Both could be plain decoration, blue and white decoration, moulded, enameled (colors), transfer printed (all colors), reticulated (holes in it).
Here are some simple ways to tell the difference between creamware and pearlware. To put in simply, pearlware will have a blue glaze, evident in the crevices, especially around both the inside and outside of the foot rim. On pots, you will also see the blue coloration where the spout joins the body and where the handle terminals connect to the body. Some times , you will see a bluish tint on some random spots. This is usually caused by extra thick glazing in those areas. The only problem is that some porcelain pieces also have a bluish glaze. You have to eliminate porcelain as a possibility. Porcelain is translucent when held up to a light. Pottery is not. Hold a piece of porcelain up to a strong light, move your hand (the other one), back and forth between the piece and the light, and you can see your hand through the porcelain piece. If it is not translucent, then you have pottery.
Creamware will have a glaze that is clear, through a yellowish tint, and then possibly a greenish, grey tint. These characteristics are easily seen in the crevices where the glaze puddles. Creamware will be lighter (less heavy) than pearlware. Another characteristic of creamware is that if you look straight down, you can often see an irridescence or multicolors as in a rainbow, although this is not too common. The color of the creamware can be white, through shades of buff down to light brown. Pearlware is most often whitish, but can be buff colored.
Again, the quickest test to determine whether you have creamware or pearlware is the bluish glaze. If you see blue and the piece is not translucent, then it is pearlware.
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