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I'm about to send a manufacturer a 3d model to be created on a ceramic-like surface and when I was going to pick colors, I found out that the Pantone world of naming colors but those are mostly for print paper (coated/uncoated).
I found some special colors for metallic surfaces but I'm yet to find a good reference for ceramic.
Is Pantone a good answer to the question? Which suffix should I look for? Is there any palette specific for ceramic?
The best is to ask the manufacturer.
Even if you decide to use a Pantone for coated and uncoated printed paper products, it's possible to also choose an equivalent in the other Pantone book or have the manufacturer suggest you some. It's even possible the manufacturer has his own inks/paints but use any color book as reference.
In general, the plastic and other materials can use the "FASHION, HOME + INTERIORS" Pantone book (TPG). To my knowledge, there's no palette specific to ceramic with Pantone.
You can use this link to find "matching" Pantones but don't be surprised, sometimes it's better to use a book; the match isn't 100% perfect. On the other hand, it's hard to be precise because the material used will also influence the color!
http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/color_xref.aspx
And you can also verify on the Pantone website, they have a "Pantone Product Finder" and it can help you select what's more appropriate for the project you work on.
