subject: China Dogs - Beautiful Ornaments For Every Budget [print this page] Whether you are an animal lover or an ornament collector, or both, china dogs can be a wonderful gift to give or receive.
Long before china was even invented, ancient civilizations made replicas of their favourite pets using pottery, clay and even made carvings from animal and human bones. The death of a beloved pet would frequently mean adding memorabilia to a necklace so the pet wouldn't be forgotten.
Today, animal lovers love having not only the real pet, they decorate their homes with all sorts of ornaments and trinkets of their favourite animals.
If collecting china dogs is your thing, you certainly have plenty of choices at your fingertips. Custom designed display cases can be found at gift shops and hobby stores and when the display case is full you can then start collecting china salt and pepper shakers that look like your collie or Labrador, or you can buy entire sets of holiday ornaments that resemble little Fido.
For the true aficionado, many high end dinnerware manufacturers not only produce and design expensive plates, they also produce entire lines of trinkets and china dog ornaments are among the most popular. Some of these high end collectibles, new, can be worth an awful lot of money. Antiques can be worth even more, depending on condition.
Fine china dog ornaments can indeed to expensive, and if you actively collect them, you probably have thousands of dollars invested in them. If money is tight but you still want to add more little doggies to that half full curio cabinet, there are less expensive but equally adorable options.
Everyday ceramic can look just like china, and to the untrained eye, no one would ever know the difference. These ornaments and figurines can be found in almost any gift store or catalogue or even some of the ever popular budget shops. They are cute, and they can still have the same handcrafted detail as the fine china specimens you already have.
The tinier they are, however, whether they are made from fine bone china or less expensive ceramic and pottery, the harder they are to keep clean. Of course, being kept inside a curio cabinet should lessen the degree of dust and other grime building up, but the protection of a fully encased curio cabinet will only provide a limited amount of protection, for a limited amount of time. Sooner or later, you'll need to find a way to clean your little china dogs without damaging them.
Expensive china dogs and other figurines almost always come with printed instructions on how to dust and clean and preserve them. You certainly can't just plonk them on the top shelf of your dishwasher and hope for the best. Each one needs to be individually handled with loving care, being careful not to drop it, and making sure you are working on a soft surface such as thick felt or a folded towel.
In most cases, warm soapy water is the best option, and a cotton swab can be dampened to use around crevices or fine details. Beautiful china dogs can last a life time and even be treasured by generations to come.
