The name kaolin derives from the Chinese and means high ridge. High ridge is a reference to the hill in south-eastern China where the clay was originally discovered and used. In the 7th and 8th centuries, the Chinese were the first to use kaolin to make porcelain.

Who discovered kaolin?

In England it was discovered in Cornwall about the year 1750 by William Cookworthy, of Plymouth; and in 1768 he took out his patent for making porcelain from moorstone or growan (china-stone) and growan clay (kaolin), the latter imparting "whiteness and infusibility" to the china.

How was kaolin formed?

Kaolinite is formed by weathering or hydrothermal alteration of aluminosilicate minerals. Thus, rocks rich in feldspar commonly weather to kaolinite. In order to form, ions like Na, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe must first be leached away by the weathering or alteration process.