A “second quality” piece (i.e right below first quality). These are pieces we produce throughout the year that have an aesthetic flaw but are still perfectly functional. They may be slightly different in color or glossier than intended- they might also have iron spots or a glaze pourline. We discount these pieces heavily, and they are a great way to start your own Haandmade home.
All Seconds are 100% lead free and meet FDA criteria for tableware. The ingredients are selected following strict guidelines for selecting colorants and glazes with the intention of creating a safe, ethically sourced product that you can proudly and joyfully use, including in the dishwasher and microwave.
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Common Variations:
Plethora of Pinholes
Pinholes are a small spot where a teeny bit of debris, dust, or air prevent the glaze from affixing to that spot. Pinholes have only an aesthetic impact rather than a functional one - they don't make the piece any less food-safe. Pinholes are quite common across the pottery industry - a piece with just a few will still be a first, but once a piece has many pinholes, it will be deemed a Second.
Spots
This can come from iron spots in the clay or glaze, a splash from another color, or just pure, random chance.
Finish Variation
We take surface feel very seriously! We (and our customers) love a soft, satin surface that catches the light just right and feels slightly textured in the hands. This is hard to do, and is a big part of why we may label a piece a second. Most often, the “flaw” is a piece being too shiny, or part of the pot being shiny and the rest being satin.
Color Variation
There are several reasons why this may happen, from something as simple as a water drip on a piece, a splash of another glaze color by accident, or something more drastic like the kiln atmosphere not supplying enough oxygen during a firing.
Thickness Variation
We have an ideal thickness that we want all of our pieces to be, so when something is either too thick or too thin, it gets deemed a second.
Shape Variation
While all of our pieces have some slight variation of the rim shape due to the hand working clean up process, occasionally some element of the firing or the hand work will cause the piece to vary greatly from the shape of it’s siblings. This can mean anything from an uneven foot causing the piece to wobble, to something that is just a slight variation in a shape from what we normally produce.
Production Issue
This category encompasses anything that deviates from our standards and best practices. A good example of this is when some excess glaze gets on the bottom of a pot, occasionally causing it to stick to the shelf. Or, a piece gets cleaned up too quickly and looks sloppy in a bad way, not the interesting way.
