Help Identify
Hey guys, so my mom found, perhaps, the spiffiest looking teapot I’ve seen in a while at a local goodwill for $1.99. Now, the surprising thing is its build quality…. which seems to surpass every other pot I own as far as fit and details (it has fingerprints inside from the artist)… also the stamp locations seem to show a lot of pride from the artists. It’s of weird color (green…. like in the pics) though and am not sure of it’s material and most importantly, if it is possibly toxic.
Also, the swirl pattern you see isn’t paint, but rather swirled clay that ultimately made an outer ‘sheet’ and I’ve never seen that before.
So again, what are your thoughts on finds like these….. should I use it?
It feels like normal yixing as far as texture and weight goes. It doesn’t have as bright of a chime as my other pots, but is at least double their capacity and idk if that affects the famous “yixing lid chime”. Lastly is smell I always boil my pots, and when I took this one out it smelled like a natural underground cave…. or a wet brick. The oder is very intense, but I doubt this was ever used before.
That is an awesome teapot! I would clean it well, boil it several times, before using it. I would see no reason as to why it would be toxic, but I don’t know enough about different clays o give you a good answer, hopefully someone else can help with that. Nice find though!
It’s a gorgeous teapot. I can’t give you any answers about anything regarding the quality or anything, though. When I first saw it, it almost looked like (to me) like the outer part of the tea pot was made with canes of polymer clay … but that’s the mixed media artist in me, and I doubt highly that it is, especially given the chop marks.
It is beautiful. I hope that someone who is more knowledgeable about the product than I am is able to help you.
Yeah it’s very polymer clay looking in the pics, but as a massive fan of polymer clay I know better when I see it and feel it in person. Polymer usually is a plasticy texture… and this stuff is extremely porous and exactly the texture I’d expect from a real clay. I’m highly interested in the making and the age of this pot more than anything.
Also something I should have mentioned…. I live in east Texas….. the fact that this pot was here, and at a thrift shop is pro ably the most spectacular part. I guess it goes to show you…. tea drinkers are everywhere.
There would definitely not be a porous texture if it were polymer clay! Thank you for sharing photos of your wonderful teapot find. It is a treasure, whether or not you’re able to use it … I personally would be satisfied if it was just sitting on the shelf in my cabinet so that I could look upon it every time I opened it.
I also wanted to add that it was pretty and an awesome find! I always check for teapots at thrift stores. I’ve only ever bought one, and that was before I even drank tea, lol
I hope you’re able to find out more about it!
Wonks said: “Also something I should have mentioned…. I live in east Texas….. the fact that this pot was here, and at a thrift shop is pro ably the most spectacular part. I guess it goes to show you…. tea drinkers are everywhere.”
…but possibly not in East Texas. I’m in Houston and have found nice teapots and infuser pots in thrift shops — very often brand new. People here receive them as wedding gifts and have absolutely no use for them. (Fortunately, there are a few of us enlightened souls who do!)
I have a few tokoname pots that are clay and used for sencha only (although I’m guilty of sneaking a Chinese green in them once in a while). Anyway, this one looks like one of mine, and the swirl pattern and the shape of it looks Japanese. I’m not an expert, just throwing this out there. :D
Can you see specks of shining mica inside the pot or specks of slightly different color clay? This is one of the ways yixing clay can be identified
I do see mica, but the green clay is extremely consistant. I have come to the conclusion that the previous owner never used it for tea. I brushed it, boiled it, and attempted a basic seasoning…. it took. It still smells of brick or something similar, though not nearly as strong as before.
It may be legit, even if it’s not yixing it’s still a nice teapot. As long as it doesn’t have any chemical or plastic smells I would use it for a while and see if it starts to take on smell, patina, and flavor.
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