Care Notes: Stoneware

Hand-thrown stoneware is more forgiving than its reputation suggests. It wants to be used, not protected. Still, a few habits will let a piece age gracefully and stay with you for years rather than seasons.

Wash by hand when you can, in warm water, and let pieces dry fully before stacking. The dishwasher is not forbidden, but the slow abrasion of a crowded rack dulls a glaze faster than a soft cloth ever will.

Expect small changes. A fine web of crazing in the glaze, a deepening of tone where hands hold it most. These are not flaws to be managed. They are the record of a piece being lived with, which was always the point.