So...What is the Difference Between Porcelain and Resin?
This is a common question at Wedding Collectibles because most wedding cake toppers are going to be made of one or the other. To answer this question I will go over the qualities of both, noting some pros and cons of each. It is important, however, to know that whether you should buy a porcelain cake topper versus a resin cake topper will depend more on what is important to you.
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made similar to the way that glass is made, involving heating or firing of material such as clay.If it breaks, you will notice that the texture of the broken surface will feel powdery, demonstrating that the material is made of smaller materials or grans. However, unless it is dropped or hit with something it isn't going to break. Porcelain is a material that doesn't ware away or in anyway disintegrate.
These are known for being a high quality cake topper. Why?
- Porcelain lasts longer. The color and shape won't fade or distort (unless you drop it and it breaks!)
Like most things, there are some disadvantages to Porcelain cake toppers as well.
- The major disadvantage is that is can't hold edges very well. What this means is that if the edge or detail is too thin, it will collapse on itself. If you have a porcelain cake topper, you do not need to worry about this happening. This would only occur while making the figurine, meaning that it limits the kind of details you are going to find in the cake topper.
- Expensive Material. High quality porcelain cake toppers do tend to be more expensive, but not necessarily out of budget. If you are looking for a long lasting keepsake, porcelain is well worth the money!
Resin
Resin or Stone Resin is an increasingly popular material for wedding cake toppers and figurines. Why?
- Resin can be intricately detailed, meaning that your cake topper can have more detail.
- It can be cheaper than porcelain, but still maintain a similar look.* (See exemption in Cons below!)
Some Cons for Resin cake toppers
- Resin actually yellows over time, so if you buy a resin cake topper you may find the white to be looking a little less...white. If you display it in an area that has a lot of sun, your cake topper will easily be yellowed within a year. Whether it sits in the sun or not, it will yellow, the sun just speeds up the process.This is why if you plan on your cake topper being a keep sake that you will have around for a lifetime or more, you may want to look at something other then Resin.
- The cost is increasing! Resin is most basically a high grade plastic. For a long time this meant that the cake toppers could be made at a lower cost, but the cost of this material is going up. Making the cost difference between Resin and Porcelain to not be so much of a difference.
You will find wedding cake toppers made of both materials because you can get a high quality cake toppers with each. Whether one is better than the other will depend on what you want to focus on. If you are looking for a top of the heap
porcelain cake topper, Lenox is known for producing high quality porcelain. Then, one of the most popular makers of
resin cake toppers and figurines that you may be familiar with is Willow Tree. Wedding Collectibles carries both of the above brands and produces our own. We work diligently to produce the best cake toppers at an affordable price. You can trust that affordable, in our case, will not mean sloppy work.
If you have any more questions on these difference please feel free to post below or give us a call!!
better than others based solely on the little details. Take the one featured above; part of what makes it so great is the Swarovski crystal that is used as hair accessories and on the wedding band. If a figurine is offering special ornamental motifs like this, you are looking at a porcelain cake topper of higher quality.
better than others based solely on the little details. Take the one featured above; part of what makes it so great is the Swarovski crystal that is used as hair accessories and on the wedding band. If a figurine is offering special ornamental motifs like this, you are looking at a porcelain cake topper of higher quality.
