Porcelain was known historically as "white gold" because of its extreme rarity, high monetary value, and the intense secrecy surrounding its manufacture in Europe for centuries. When fine Chinese porcelain was first imported to Europe via the Silk Road and maritime trade routes in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was so heavily coveted by monarchs and nobles that individual pieces were sometimes traded for their literal weight in gold. For a long time, the formula and production of porcelain remained a closely guarded secret of the Chinese imperial court, centered largely around the ancient manufacturing hub of Jingdezhen. European alchemists spent decades trying to replicate the material—often while attempting to turn base metals into gold. In 1708, German alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger (alongside scientist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus) finally cracked the formula for hard-paste porcelain under the orders of Augustus II the Strong. This led to the creation of the famous Meissen Porcelain factory in 1710. True porcelain possessed traits that European ceramics could not match: a dazzling, snow-like whiteness, high strength, and a translucent quality that made it a symbol of ultimate wealth and status. Examples of "white gold" in terms of Chinese Kangxi period porcelain (1662–1722) and Meissen porcelain (c. 1730–55) can today be seen in west London at the Twickenham Museum in a display curated by Ricky Pound. The house in which the Twickenham Museum is now based once belonged to the Twining family, giants in the tea trade. Thomas Twining moved to Twickenham in 1724. He and his wife are buried in the adjacent St Mary's Church, where a memorial bearing their family armorial coat of arms can be seen on one of the church'soutside walls. A small display on the Twinings and their time living in Twickenham can be seen inside the Twickenham Museum, as well as featured in a London Luminaries online talk by local historian Ed Harris. londonluminaries.com/talk/te…