Transparent ceramics represent a cutting-edge class of materials that combine the versatile shaping possibilities of ceramic processing with the outstanding mechanical and thermal properties of crystalline structures. This presentation will explore how ceramic technologies enable the design and production of transparent crystalline materials with high precision, complex geometries, and compositional flexibility that surpass the limitations of conventional single crystals. The talk will also illustrate the limitations of the technology, and the approaches developed to overcome some of them. As a particular case, transparent ceramic composites will be introduced: a seemingly oxymoronic concept that highlights the uniqueness and potential of transparent ceramic materials.