The production process was declared top secret. All workers of the porcelain factory took an oath to keep its secrets. Death penalty was imposed for disclosure of any information. Those who prepared the porcelain paste did not know how the furnaces worked, and those who were engaged in firing knew nothing about the raw materials. In fact, only three people were aware of the three key elements of porcelain production (white clay — kaolin, additives for making the paste smoother and firing temperature): Böttger himself [Johann Friedrich Böttger, a German alchemist and goldsmith who managed to obtain the first white porcelain in Europe] and two of his assistants. Böttger was closely watched. Only in 1714, when the factory began operating continuously and valuable Meissen porcelain began to arrive on the European markets, bringing great profits to Augustus II the Strong, Böttger was set free. However, he was under surveillance until the day he died in 1719, when he was 37 years old.