Quality is one of the four fundamental pillars that make up the soul of SARGADELOS, we pursue it carefully in each phase of the production of our articles.

Each piece of porcelain is designed, composed, molded, dried, decorated and fired following a process that guarantees outstanding quality, controlled from its origin, design, production, packaging and destination.

As in any artistic or creative process, everything starts with a great idea, and the starting point is just as important as the goal. In our design studio, we draw, sculpt, model, but above all we imagine products with soul, creditors of the long history and tradition of Sargadelos, but of radical avant-garde and modernity, which transcend beyond the aesthetic value.

From time to time, we also collaborate with designers and artists of national and international renown, reinforcing our commitment to art, while regenerating our own approach and style.

Once the design phase is completed, our craftsmen thoroughly carve a plaster prototype by hand with the help of tools such as gouges or knives.

The technique must be precise since any imperfection on the model could prejudice the final result of a whole series of pieces.

In porcelain manufacturing, the making of the parent mold, the mother of all molds that will be used in production, is never overestimated.

Starting from a resin model extracted from a lost mold from the prototype, our experts create the plaster-based matrix. It is a laborious and complex process, where many unforeseen events can ariseand lead them to begin again. Due to the abrasion of the porcelain paste, the production molds wear out in the process and only have about 80 uses. Our technicians constantly renew them to ensure the highest quality in each production cycle.

Starting from a plaster model, our experts study and create the matrix.

It is a laborious and complex process, where unforeseen events can occur that lead them to start over. Due to the abrasion of the slip, the molds wear out.

Once we have the mold, we can start the production process. First of all, it is essential to have quality raw materials, and ours are kaolin, feldspar, quartz, water, color pigments, varnish and fire.

At SARGADELOS we carry out a rigorous selection of materials, promoting and regenerating the local economic cycle. After an stict quality control, we discard defects or anomalies that may affect the final result.

Once the best materials has been chosen, we mix the raw material in our mills to obtain the paste that will serve as the basis for shaping our articles. The grinding technique varies depending on the type of pasta we want to get.

Calibration will lead to more plastic pastes, ideal for making cups, plates or dishes, which are pressed to remove excess water and are extruded into cylinders of different calibers depending on each product. Casting provides pastes with variable densities, the barbotine. This is a liquid texture suitable for pouring into plaster molds and applied depending on the piece to be made.

Calibration is the modeling technique of geometrically generated parts in mechanical lathes on which the paste is placed.

The obverse of the piece is obtained by pressing on the plaster mold, while the reverse is modeled by the lathe itself.

The casting technique is based on the pouring of the barbotine until the plaster mold overflows.

The liquid porcelain adheres to the walls of the mold creating a shell whose thickness varies according to time. The excess barbotineis poured and allowed to air dry until it achieves sufficient consistency to be removed from the mold.

Most iconic and complex products are made up of several pieces that, once removed, they have to be assembled by hand.

In jewelry and small pieces, we use manual carving techniques from high-density ceramic paste.

These pieces are delicately hand painted, using minimum caliber brushes.

Once molded, the pieces are stored in drying rooms. In them, the water contained in the porcelain paste slowly evaporates, compacting and solidifying the piece.

The room remains at a stable temperature and humidity to reduce the risk of cracking.

Once dry, the pieces are carefully placed in a structure known as "vagoneta" and in a fitting operation to optimize the heat that is reminiscent of an impossible puzzle. Once it is finished, they are placed in a high temperature oven, subjecting them to the biscuit technique.

A suitable simile of our different production processes, since we treat each product with the same affection, care and talent that culinary art requires.

At Sargadelos we compose our own colors, starting from high quality pigments delicately mixed and grounded with the help of pebbles. Cobalt blue is the iconic color of the brand, known through history and in a wide geography, constituting a true milestone of industrial and cultural design in the porcelain market. It should be noted that the color applied is completely different from that observed in the final result, much closer to pastel shades. It is through the application of the varnish and the final firing that the piece acquires that dark tone characteristic of the brand. This task is extremely complex, since the painter must find the tonality, considering subsequent processes.

On the porcelain biscuit cake, we apply one of the most artistic parts of our brand: the decoration, which is applied, depending on the color, underglaze or overglaze, before and after the piece is glazed. Each piece is hand painted using stencils previously cut by our technicians. The designs, made by our artistic professionals, follow traditional patterns inspired by Celtic and Atlantic culture, always adapting them to our iconic avant-garde style. Not all details can be achieved with stencils. The brushes of our specialists finish the job, adding, retouching, drawing, reaching that degree of perfection, care and natural finish that only craftmanship reach. Delicate pieces, special editions and the most complex details are painted exclusively by hand, without the use of stencils. A meticulous but necessary process in that search for excellence that characterizes SARGADELOS.

Once painted, the pieces are subjected to different varnish baths, depending on the piece, which will cover it, resulting in a completely white product.

Once it is dry, the pieces are stored in wagons, depending on the type of oven, trying to save space as much as possible to subject them to the firing process.

The structures containing the enameled pieces are stored in a "train" that moves slowly towards the oven. This is where the magic of fire produces its spell: the heat turns the brittle biscuit into quality ceramic at more than 1,400 degrees. The enamel is absorbed by the piece, revealing the intense tones of the colors that characterize our brand.

In short, the pieces come out of the oven turned into authentic SARGADELOS porcelains.