Kaolin is a soft white clay, and the main ingredient in porcelain clay bodies, but is also used industrially in the manufacturing of rubber, paper, and paint. It was first discovered in china and the name Kaolin comes from the Chinese word Gaoling – meaning “high ridge” – and also the name of a village near Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Provence. In part because of the proximity to the ancient site of kaolin, Jindezhen has been one of the most important centers of porcelain production for over 1,700 years.
Today kaolin is mined from locations across the planet. In the United States the most significant sources of Kaolin are found in Georgia and Florida, but in addition to domestically produced Kaolins ceramics studios often import Grolleg (a particularly white and translucent kaolin) from the United Kingdom.
