FAQ
If you have a query and can't find the answer below, please use the contact form to get in touch with me.
Can I use my Emma Williams Ceramics bowl to hold food or water?
No, the only function of my work is to be a beautiful decorative item for the home, the brooches are of course made to be worn however! Due to their unusual delicate and textured glazes my bowls are not suitable for food use and because they have been fired at a low temperature and have unglazed areas they are still porous and will not hold water.
I would also not recommend leaving them outdoors in winter as they won't survive frost and would be likely to pick up dirt that will permanently stain them. However they will survive summer rain and sunshine if you have a garden table you'd like to display them on for a while!
How should I clean & care for my Emma Williams Ceramics bowl or brooch?
Cleaning: To remove dust, you can simply rinse my bowls and brooches under clean running water and allow them to dry, or dust them gently with a soft brush - the textured surfaces of my work will pick up fibres from fabric dusters which will be difficult to remove!
Any scuff marks on the dry textured barium glazes on my brooches or bowls can be removed by gently scrubbing with a sponge and a mild detergent under running water.
Care: All of the glazes on my bowls and brooches are delicate, so as with any piece of decorative handmade ceramics they should be treated with care. In particular, features of the highly textured crawl glazes I use are to either 'bead', effectively creating a hollow bubble of glaze, particularly on the black clay surface, or, to sometimes 'peel' away from the clay surface slightly, creating raised areas of glaze - more common on my terracotta pieces. In both cases this makes the work extremely fragile - if the 'beads' or peeling glaze areas on my bowls or brooches are banged or knocked hard, the surface will become damaged. As a precaution I would not recommend placing anything heavy inside my bowls, or stacking them inside each other.
The unglazed areas of my work can pick up marks from greasy fingers.
