How to Choose a Handmade Ceramic Mug: A Simple Buyer’s Guide

Introduction

A mug is about as close to your hands as any other object we hold day after day. But typically all of the mugs that we hold are from our coffee shop in a pack of four with a grocery store set that came for cheap. A handmade ceramic mug isn't the same at all. It is handmade with care for your hands to enjoy with years of use to come.

Not everyone that is trying to get away with calling there’s handmade. That should always be your first to look out for! This guide to how to pick a handmade ceramic mug should give you everything you want and need in the perfect mug!

What Does It Mean To Be Handmade?

Most mugs sold today aren’t what they say. They’re slip cast in a factory in big sets of all of them the same. A handmade ceramic mug is thrown on a potters wheel, hand-built by a person or, or hand glazed to be the special object that you desire in your morning routine!

7 Tips to Keep in mind for a Handmade Ceramic Mug

1. The Clay Body:

The thicker that the clay body is the less likely your mug will be to chip.The best of mugs are stoneware or high-fired porcelain! This also means that they are much more dense. A handmade ceramic mug is much more durable than a manufactured one!

2. The Glaze:

When it comes to handmade there are all of the kinds! From smooth, buttery, creamy glazes, to rough textures. Either you decide is best but just keep in mind that this glaze has to be food safe, led free, and fired to last! Glazed pieces can look matte or high shine and both can be fantastic.

The better that the glazes have beenfired the more durable the piece will be.

3. Weight & Feel:

when holding a handmade ceramic mug of anything, you should be able to pick it up and feel it for a few minutes! The way that the piece rests in your hand is of course going to tell you a little more about it than the way that the item appears in a photograph. The Piece Should have the correct weight. You do not want something to light that feels weak and can be broken too easily, nor something heavy to the point that they become a burden.

4. The Handle

The handle the position of the handle as well as how it attaches to the body is of importance, is this comfortable or too much. The handle could say a lot about how much that the handmade ceramic mug had gone into its completion! This piece of the mug is very often where you see the hand of the maker’s!

5.Size and volume:

You want a handmade ceramic mug. Most commonly they are 11 to 15oz. But that size depends of course upon individual Preference. A handmade ceramic mug will have an 11 to 15 oz size range. It depends on whether the piece is to be used as a small shot, or a large coffee cup, or tea and hot chocolate drinking vessel.

6.Firing and durableness:

High-fired(around 1,300°C) ceramics are far more dense and less brittle than earthenware ceramics. Because of this, high fired handmade mugs can go in to dishwasher & microwave just fine, and they hold their Heat really well!

7 . Everyday practicality

Ways to take care of handmade ceramic pieces I always tell the first purchasers of handmade ceramics to keep an eye out for anything with gold or Silver elements! These pieces can't be put in a microwave and generally cannot go into a dishwasher; they can, however, go in for a gentle rinse in hot, soapy water followed by a good wash with water for a good clean-!

Handmade Vs Factory Made: What Exactly Are You Paying For?

Although handmade mugs can be more expensive than their factory-produced counterparts, the price reflects the time and expertise of an artist, the natural materials used, the high temperatures at which they are fired and a work of art unique to the consumer. While the material is essentially the same, handmade mugs will last longer, feel more natural in the hands and will offer charming quirks like uneven rim or glaze imperfections as signs of the maker. This is what separates an object you might need to replace yearly with one you use over the course of a decade.

What Should You Do To Keep Handmade Ceramic Mugs In Shape?

Ceramic is incredibly easy to clean- just do your best to avoid putting mugs through extreme temperature changes (putting a cup fresh from the freezer into boiling hot water or vice versa). While washing by hand is safest for finer china or mug designs with metallic accent- many hand thrown ceramic mugs are completely dishwasher safe.

Properly cared for- any high quality ceramic mug will only get better with age.

Where Are Quality Handmade Ceramic Mugs Made?

Some of the best porcelain comes from Jingdezhen- China’s “Porcelain Capital” which has an incredible history of over one millennium of ceramics production. All of the handmade mugs at JINGEE are made in Jingdezhen by hand thrown on the wheel using mineral content rich clay then baked at extremely high temperatures of approximately 1300C, resulting in a smooth as silk yet amazingly resilient material, creating an artwork as well as one of these stunningly high fired and toxin-free mugs we admire so much.

Please explore the rest of our collection or take a moment to see ourhand throwingprocess.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is a handmade ceramic mug safe to drink from?

Yes, all of the handmade pieces we have made at Jingee in China have been food safe with the quality we always provide!

What Is Safe in a dishwasher and microwave?

Some handmade ceramic mugs are safe and some are not! It is best to always read the instructions of the pieces you get as the can Vary!

Why are handmade ceramic mugs more expensive?

A piece that is handmade takes hours and a lot of talent that the mass machine pieces do not account for! You are paying for skill and uniqueness.

How long can you expect a handmade ceramic mug to last?

If the handmade ceramic mug was made well you can expect it to last a very very very very long time! And you will probably never need another one, ever!

Choosing Yours

Picking yours Once you've got this handmade guide to take along with you on your purchasing journey, then you'll be able to take on your task with a bit more confidence in selecting your ideal mug! Here at JINGEE we've got you covered if you don't want to hunt them all over!

Come pick your piece and don't doubt the quality.