All functional pots are made with temperature appropriate stoneware, and my glazes are properly fired to ensure food safety.
To ensure proper glaze fit, I put all glazes, whether commercial or mixed myself, through rigorous testing to watch for any signs of degradation.
It is my goal to make sure that your ceramics are glazed properly. I do my best to make sure that the glaze is matured, stable, and free of defects.
Each item is inspected by hand individually to ensure quality control before an item is listed for sale and again before the item is shipped to you.
If you would like to learn more about food safety and handmade ceramics, this is a great Digital Fire article that goes into depth on the subject.
My functional ware is made to be used. I use my, and other potters pots, daily.
While I do not hesitate to heat my daily tea or leftovers in the microwave, there is some common sense that must be observed with any handmade ceramics.
THERMAL SHOCK
Ceramic pots can withstand very high temperatures (mine are fired between 2250° F – 2400° F), but pots will crack if exposed to a rapid change in temperature. This is called thermal shock. This can be very dangerous and needs to be taken seriously.
MICROWAVE SAFETY
Functional items are usually microwave safe EXCLUDING plates. Heating food plates can create concentrated hot spots that stress pottery, causing cracks.
NOTE: Certain glaze patterns will heat up quickly and may be hot to the touch, please take care when removing any pottery from the microwave.
Never put a piece of ceramics direct from the fridge onto or into any source of heat.
To reheat leftovers from the fridge, use an appropriate food storage container such as plastic or glass, and then, transfer the food from that to a ROOM TEMPERATURE pot before placing in the microwave for reheating.
OVEN SAFETY
Functional pots are usually oven safe when placed in a COLD oven that is then brought up to temperature. Placing a cold piece of pottery into a hot oven will cause it to crack from the sudden temperature change.
NOT SAFE FOR STOVE TOPS OR OPEN FLAME
BOILING WATER SAFETY
Do not put boiling or very hot liquid directly into handmade pottery. This can cause thermal shock.
To use a handmade ceramic mug for coffee and tea, make sure to preheat the mug before pouring in hot liquids. To do this, run the mug under warm to hot tap water before filling with your hot beverage of choice. Alternatively, you can heat a cold liquid in a cold mug in the microwave.
NOT FREEZER SAFE
DISHWASHER SAFE
As an avid ceramicist that loves pots, I must forewarn you that you can OVERLOAD a dishwasher. Ceramics are typically heavier than store bought ware and you can weigh down your racks pretty quick. I know from experience on this one…I had a dishwasher rip out of it’s mounting once and tilt forward! Mind you it wasn’t properly mounted (one screw), but I make sure not to do that anymore!
With this in mind, I still wash my pots in the dishwasher. I just space them out and don’t overload anymore!
If you are worried, hand-wash your pieces instead. Due to size, sometimes this is the only way anyway!
It actually recommended that you wash handmade ceramics from time to time in a dishwasher just to ensure there isn’t a build up of bacteria that might be missed by hand washing!
USE & ENJOY YOUR POTS PLEASE!!! JUST BEWARE THE THERMAL SHOCK!!!
What carrier do you use?
I use Fed Ex, UPS and USPS to ship pots. It depends on the size and weight, my utmost concern is making sure your pots arrive safe at the best price!
What is the estimated shipping time?
Please allow 2 to 3 business days for your order to be packed and shipped.
Note: Custom orders have a lead time of 4 to 6 weeks.
Do you ship internationally?
Not at this time. We plan to expand shipping to other countries in the future!
How do you pack my order?
We wrap all of your orders in a die cut kraft paper which is great at keeping your items safe. The paper is 100% recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable!
What if something in my order broke during shipping?
I pack my pots the best I can, but sometimes breakage happens. Please let me know upon receiving your package that your item has arrived broken. Please snap a photo of the broken items along with photos of the box and send it to [email protected]. (I will need to file an insurance claim if it looks like it was due to excessively rough handling by the carrier).
Online Return Policy
Please keep in mind that these are handcrafted items. They will have variations and imperfections that commercially created items lack. To many, this is the draw of handcrafted items.
However, if you are not 100% satisfied with your order, please let me know. To start a return, please email [email protected] within 3 days of receiving the package. Returns need to be received back within 30 days of delivery.
You are responsible for paying the cost of shipping to return your item/s safely. If you’re worried about your packaging skills, bring your returns to a trusted shipper to package for you. I am unable to issue refunds for items that are returned in anything less than like-new condition.
Refunds will be issued only after returns are received to back to me. Please note: the original cost of shipping is non-refundable.