Browsing purple clay Teapots online, you likely have noticed the following: many shops are astonishingly cheap at first glance.
Pots advertised for a hundred or two can be “authentic Yixing purple clay”? Not only are they cheap, but they often come in extremely intricate shapes. Each pot seems to try to convince you with its exquisite craftsmanship: not buying would be a great loss.
Some pots, on the other hand, play up their names.
With just an ultra-low price, they claim to use golden segments, heavenly blue clay, or dark red robe. Some even sell based on titles alone, without discussing the quality of workmanship, boasting significant appreciation potential.
But upon closer inspection, some have monthly sales of over a thousand pots, often accompanied by a pile of free gifts. Something doesn't add up.
Before you actually buy a purple clay Teapot, have you recognized the following two facts—
Fact One
When a purple clay teapot is priced at a hundred or two, or even lower, it's destined not to be authentic Yixing clay.
Most cheap teapots use outer mountain clay. That is, clay from mines in other provinces like Anhui Xinhang or Zhejiang Anji is passed off as Yixing clay. You aim for Li Kui but end up with Li Gui.
Authentic Yixing clay has granules, strong breathability
Outer mountain clay has impurities that clog pores, minimal breathability
Worse still, some use Pottery clay mixed with chemical additives and colored with glass water. After polishing and quick aging, the surface often appears more glossy and attractive than genuine purple clay teapots.
However, the problem is that chemical teapots contain heavy metals, which are toxic. Frequent use can inevitably harm one's health. For these “dangerous teapots,” if you don't know much about them, it's hard to distinguish them.
Fact Two
In addition to the clay, there's a lot to consider regarding the craftsmanship of purple clay teapots. Teapots priced too low are either machine-made, mass-produced, with a daily output of hundreds and very low costs.
Or they're made using the method of making ceramics, losing the essential breathability of purple clay teapots, leaving only the appearance, and no longer considered purple clay ware.
For both types of teapots, even experienced collectors find it difficult to tell from appearance alone, let alone beginners.
Approaching Authentic Purple Clay
As a commodity, the prices of purple clay teapots in the market are indeed quite opaque. Most products follow the principle of “you get what you pay for,” so even if consumers don't have a deep understanding of the product, choosing the higher-priced ones won't lead to significant losses.
But when it comes to purple clay teapots, this isn't necessarily true. Spending several thousand might not yield a better teapot than someone who spends a few hundred; spending a hundred or two, as mentioned earlier, will almost always result in a “handmade, good clay” teapot.
If there are any copyright issues, please contact us to remove.