Making as well as owning handmade cone 10 [2475° F] stoneware pottery has several unique qualities.  First is that handmade means that there are subtle variations both in shape and color.  My work is not stamped out or comes out of a mold, since  each comes from a lump of clay that I throw on the potters wheel or roll out into sheet form with my slab roller.   I produce around an average of 2000 to 2500 pieces per year.  Each done one at a time with an eye on the design and function and handled with care for you.  

    Glaze colors will be in a range of tone.  Each area of the kiln from top to bottom and front to back as well as the number of pots as well as the way they are stacked influences the flame, heat, and reduction of the firing which then determines the final surface and color.  Then the ingredients themselves, with each new bag of chemicals as well as my mixing can vary the results slightly.  All these effect the final piece you hold in your hand.   However that is the best part of handmade, each piece is meant for you. 

    Depending on the time of the year the available quantities of pots can vary too with show schedules, wholesale orders, and of course the flu!  Each of these can influence how soon you get a special order.  In most cases if everything is going fairly smoothly in the studio, weather, and my life it takes 4 to 6 weeks to get a piece that is ordered special.

    All of my pottery is lead free stoneware which is microwave safe, oven safe [I suggest that you treat your pottery like glass bake ware by placing in a cool oven], and dishwasher safe.  Stoneware pottery is very durable but is not approved for tossing at a spouse or a wall!   :-)