1. Is everything on this site handmade?
All ceramic pottery and jewellery that you see on this site has been lovingly designed and made by me by hand in my small studio in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
2. Is your ceramic pottery food safe?
If the pottery item is to be used in the kitchen or for any type of food, then it iscompletely food safe. All the clay I use comes from PSH (The Pottery Supply House) fired at cone 6. And I use only lead-free glazes, stains and pigments for your (and my )safety.
3. Is your kitchenware dishwasher and microwave safe?
All my stoneware food pieces are both dishwasher and microwave safe. However, toensure longevity of your pieces I recommend hand washing with a gentle soap.* Please note that gold/silver luster embellished wares are neither dishwasher normicrowave safe. All such pieces should never be placed in a microwave as they cancause a spark. I also recommend that you gently hand wash them to avoid the lustrefrom becoming dull in the dishwasher.
4. Do you keep items in stock?
A lot of my work is made to order. You can find pre-made items that I can ship quickly inthe ‘ready to ship’ section of the shop.Because I offer you choices with color and sizes for almost every design it would beincredibly wasteful to create hundreds of pieces to have sitting on shelves. Instead Imake your experience unique and special by hand-crafting each item in your order allthe while preserving raw materials and resources unlike mass-produced manufacturers
5. Why does it say “➕" Please allow X weeks for me to create this just for you! ” forsome product descriptions?
Pottery can take anywhere between 2-8 weeks to create. The drying process (which isthe first part of the careful creation process) takes the most time. This is a crucial stepin the creation of pottery to avoid the pieces from cracking or exploding in the kiln.Other than that - weather, high volume of orders and holiday times can also affect thetime it takes to ship your pieces.
6. How long does it take for my order to ship?
Lead times vary depending on the item size, complexity and even time of the year. Please find more information on this on the shipping and returns page.
7. Do you offer to make custom or personalized pottery/ceramic items?
Absolutely! Please feel free to email me your requests. I am happy to discuss yourunique needs and work with you to create custom pieces at personalized prices. Email:hello@gaiapottery.store
8. Do you offer color options?
Absolutely! I can customize the colour of the item (or add a personalization eg: name,message etc) just for you at a small customization fee for most designs.
9. How is the pottery made?
Glad you asked. Pottery is a labour of love, patience, and delicate craftsmanship. Everysingle piece that I make, goes through a long metamorphosis (just like the butterfly)I start with first designing my pieces. Then from a slab of cold, hard clay, I hand sculpt itor shape it until it looks like how I envisioned it.The next step is the drying stage which can take anywhere between 1 and 7 weeks to complete. This is without doubt the most important stage to ensure the strength and shape of the item and cannot be rushed.Once dry, I carefully sand the piece and paint it with vibrant underglazes (if the design demands it). Then comes the first firing in the kiln at 1800 degrees. We call this phase – bisque firing.Once the bisque ware has cooled down, I wash it and leave it to dry. Then I hand glazethe item with lead-free glazes before firing it yet again in the kiln – but this time at 2200 degrees. The overall process takes about 2 to 8 weeks to complete –producing unique pottery pieces to treasure for years.
10. What if my order is lost or arrives damaged?
Please visit the shipping and returns page for this information.
11. Do you offer a design trade discount?
Yes, I do! Please email me at hello@gaiapottery.store to register your design studio andreceive 10% off every order.
12. Do you take wholesale orders?
I am one woman show at the moment. If you want me to create, say 15/20 pieces of the same type, I could take it on depending on holiday season and prior orders.
