How can you tell handmade pottery from factory made?

You can recognize handmade pottery by small imperfections, natural colour variation and a mosaic pattern that is never fully symmetrical, features that machine made factory work simply does not have. Those imperfections are proof that a piece was made by hand, not cast or printed by machine.

How can you tell a pot was made by hand?

In a handmade mosaic piece, the tesserae, hand cut pieces of glass, are laid and grouted one by one. That process leaves traces machine work does not: a grout line that is not perfectly straight, a tile that is slightly larger or smaller than its neighbour, or a colour gradient that turns out a little different from pot to pot. To see exactly how that process works, read about the craft behind a handmade mosaic pot.

• Slight colour variation between tesserae, even within the same glass colour.
• Grout lines that are not perfectly straight or evenly wide.
• Small differences in size and shape between two pots from the same model.
• No two pieces that are exactly identical, even within the same series.

What is the difference between handmade pottery and factory made pottery?

Factory made pottery is often produced in moulds or with printed patterns, so every piece turns out nearly identical, with a uniform, machine finish. A handmade pot from Egypt gets its mosaic from thousands of individual choices made while laying the tesserae. Read more about how that craft comes together, from clay to mosaic, in our article on handmade pottery from Egypt.

Are imperfections a sign of poor quality?

No, usually it is the opposite. Small colour variation and irregularities are a mark of handwork, not a flaw. At Masr Potten & Vazen no two pieces are identical, precisely because every piece is laid and grouted by hand. If you also want to know the difference between the material itself, terracotta or ceramics, our article on the difference between terracotta and ceramics gives a clear overview.

Why does handmade pottery often last longer?

A well fired clay pot with sturdy grouted mosaic is made to last for years, indoors and outdoors. That fits a broader sustainability idea: things that last longer reduce environmental impact per year of use, as Dutch sustainability organisation Milieu Centraal describes about buying fewer new things more consciously. A handmade piece therefore tends to get replaced less often than a mass produced alternative.

How do you recognise the Egyptian mosaic tradition in a pot?

Masr is the Arabic word for Egypt and refers to the inspiration behind every piece, not to a factory or a physical address. The colourful, hand laid patterns are inspired by that Egyptian mosaic tradition. Want a company logo worked into the mosaic? That is possible as a custom piece too, in the colour, shape and size you want. Browse the collection of pots and vases for an idea of the available sizes and colours.

Can you tell the difference before you have a pot in your home?

Photos can give clues too. Look closely at close up shots of the mosaic: if zooming in reveals small colour differences between tesserae and a grout line that is not perfectly straight, that is a good sign. If the pattern looks exactly identical and perfectly symmetrical in every photo, there is a bigger chance you are looking at a printed or machine moulded surface rather than mosaic laid piece by piece. If in doubt, feel free to ask for detail photos of the specific piece you are considering, especially for a custom order: at Masr Potten & Vazen a custom piece comes with progress photos during the making process, so you can follow the handwork at every stage before the piece is delivered.