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Frequently Asked Questions |
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About our name
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Who
or what is “Ephraim?"
The "Ephraim" in "Ephraim Faience
Pottery" comes from
the town of Ephraim in Door County, Wisconsin. One of the company's founding partners
had a family connection to Ephraim and it was an early dream to one day
locate the pottery there. The partner and the dream of moving the studio
are no longer part of the company, but the name endures.
Faience is a term whose meaning has
changed over time. Originally, faience referred to tin-glazed
earthenware produced in
Faenza, Italy.
Faience has also traditionally referred to tin-glazed ceramics from
ancient
Egypt,
Asia, and
Europe. Over time, as decorative styles and glazes changed, faience
came to refer to earthenware pieces with or without sculpted decoration,
and finished in either matte and/or shiny glazes. Our pottery, like that
of a famous earlier pottery with "faience" in its name - the Grueby
Faience Company - is sculpted earthenware finished in matte glazes. |
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About our company
Our studio is located in a converted
barn in a rural area just east of
Madison,
Wisconsin.
We are surrounded by farm fields, prairie grasses, and all sorts of
wildlife.
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I’d
like to visit your studio. Is it open to the public, and do you give
tours?
Because we are located on a privately
owned farm, our studio is not open to the public. We are not set up to
accommodate visitors or to conduct tours. We plan to move to a new
facility sometime in 2008 where we will be able to have our studio and a
retail store in one location. See the Letter
to Our Customers from our president, Kevin Hicks, for more details.
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About our pottery
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My
new pot is making a “pinging” sound. What is it, and is it okay?
That "pinging" sound is nothing to
worry about. It is the sound of the glaze settling on the pot and going
through a process known as "crazing." You can see the effects of crazing
on some types of pottery such as those with crackle glazes, but because
our pottery has a matte finish you can't see the tiny cracks in the glaze.
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Are
your pots reproductions?
In the early years of our company,
most of our pieces were reproductions of antique pottery. As our company
has evolved, more and more of our pieces are based on original designs
created by our artists. Now, most of our pieces are our own original
designs.
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Are
your designs copyrighted?
Our original designs are copyrighted.
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Do
you use molds to make your pots?
The process of creating a vessel using
a mold is known as slip-casting. We do not use slip-cast molds to make our
vases. Potters throw all of our vessels individually, by hand, on a
potter's wheel.
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Are
your glazes for sale?
No, we do not sell
our glazes or our glaze recipes. They have taken
years to develop and are part of the proprietary information of our
company. The glaze recipes we have developed are trade secrets.
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What
is the best way to care for my Ephraim pottery?
In general, we advise handling and
caring for your EFP pieces in a manner similar to handling and caring for
antique art pottery. As is the case with most antique pottery, we strongly
recommend never putting water directly into an
Ephraim Pottery vase. Our pottery is earthenware and it is porous. Putting
water directly into our pottery can cause cracking and leakage, damaging
not only the pottery but possibly also the furniture on which it is
sitting. The minerals in the water will also leave a residue inside
the vase, further damaging it and reducing its value. Our vases are intended to be
art objects and are not intended to for functional use. If you would like
to display flowers in our pottery vases, we suggest using dried flowers.
If you wish to display live flowers, using a glass or plastic cup or jar or a
plastic floral liner to hold the water is strongly recommended.
Always handle Ephraim pottery with
clean hands. Oils, including skin oils and lotions, will seep into the
microscopic pores of the glaze and will most likely be impossible to
remove. Our pottery should be dusted with a soft, dry or slightly damp cloth. If spot
cleaning is necessary, such as in the case of a scratch or a stain, a
non-abrasive cleanser such as Soft Scrub™ can be applied with a damp,
light-colored cloth or sponge.
If you need to store your pottery, do
not use newspaper, printed paper towels, or any other material that could
transfer ink or dirt onto your pottery. Bubble wrap, non-printed paper
grocery bags or kraft paper, or other sorts of non-printed paper packing
wraps are good choices. Check your local office supply, pack and ship, or
moving supplies store for good options.
Don’t store your pottery in an area
that experiences extreme temperature changes, such as in an unheated attic
or garage. Heat will not hurt your pottery – it reaches about 2000° in the kiln – but quick changes in
temperature may cause thermal shock, resulting in cracking or breakage. |
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About
orders
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I’d
like to order some pottery from you, but I’ve never seen your work in
person before and I’m not sure I’ll like it. Do you accept returns?
Your satisfaction is very important to
us. If you are unhappy with your purchase in any way, please call us and
we will work with you to find a mutually agreeable solution to your
concern.
Please see our Orders page for our complete return policy.
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I'm
concerned about the pottery getting broken during shipment.
You needn't be concerned. We pack our
pottery for shipment very, very well, using lots of packing peanuts,
bubble wrap and sturdy boxes. We do the very best packing job possible in
order to do what we can to make sure that your order arrives safely.
However, once a box leaves our studio we can't control how the shipper
handles it, and on rare occasions damage does occur. On the outside chance
that this happens, call our office right away
(888-704-POTS). It is very important to save all packing materials and
call our office within 1 week of receipt. We will take care of the UPS
claim and get a replacement sent to you as soon as possible. |
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About buying our pottery
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I’d
like you to send me a paper catalog in the mail. Is there a charge, and
how do I request one?
We would be glad to mail a catalog to
you free of charge. Please
contact Marilynn to request a copy. Make sure to include your full
name and complete postal mailing address.
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I’d
like to see your pottery in person. How can I find out if there is an
EFP retailer near me?
Several galleries, stores and museum
shops around the country carry a selection of our work. See our
Locate a Retailer page for a complete, current listing of EFP
retailers.
You can also see our
work in person before buying by coming to one of the shows at which we
exhibit throughout the year. View our calendar of
events
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Do
you have any seconds? What do you do with your seconds?
Very few seconds come out of our
studio. We are in the process of implementing an online store to sell our
seconds and irregulars. A link will be posted on this site as soon as this
service is operational.
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About our marks
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How can I tell when my pot was made?
The bottom (foot) of each pot bears an
impressed mark. Our studio’s mark changes each year, enabling
collectors to determine when their piece was made.
View a chronology of our marks
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When did the Ephraim potters begin signing their pieces?
The impressed signature of the
principal potter began to appear on the bottoms of our pots in the
middle of 1999. The principal potter is usually the artist who either
throws and/or sculpts the piece. To date we have not found an
effective way for the glaze artists to sign their work. We’ll let you
know if that changes.
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Are experimental pieces marked in some way?
Yes, most experimental pieces are
marked (hey, we’re only human – sometimes we forget!). The bottom
(foot) of the piece is marked with the capital letter “E” designating
it as experimental. Late in 2006 we started impressing a standard “E”
mark into the foot of the vase. The mark looks like this:
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How do I know that my piece isn’t a second?
The foot of each non-first-quality
pieces is marked before it leaves the studio. Second-quality pieces,
which have some sort of a defect such as a crack or a chip, are marked
with an “X.” Irregular pieces are marked with an “I.” Irregulars have
some sort of glaze or sculpting variation that varies enough from the
example shown in our catalog that we don’t feel comfortable calling it
first quality. When a new potter starts and is learning the ropes,
some of their pieces inevitably won’t be up to first-quality standard.
These pieces are called journeyman pieces and are marked with a “J.”
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About our limited editions
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How do you feel about your pottery being sold on eBay®?
The short answer is, “It depends.” In most cases, we think that it’s
positive for collectors in general. Read our
eBay® Statement
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What’s the difference between “retired” and “discontinued?”
It’s a matter of semantics. In both
cases, we are no longer making the piece and it can no longer be
ordered from our studio. When we retire a piece, in most cases we give
our collectors advance notice via our newsletter, email list, and web
site. We designate a deadline for ordering the piece, and when the
deadline passes it is then considered retired. The other time a piece
is retired is when it sells out its limited edition (in most cases,
500 pieces). A piece is discontinued when we cannot make it anymore,
usually due to technical difficulties or changes in the consistency or
availability of raw materials. In this case we are not able to give
our customers advance notice. We understand that this can cause
disappointment, and we try not to discontinue pieces unless it is
absolutely necessary.
View a complete
list of retired and discontinued pieces |
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About our tiles
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Why don't you make tiles anymore?
The short answer: Because our tile maker
left. Read the long answer
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Are you ever going to start making tiles again?
We never say never, because we like to
keep our options open. After all, you never know what’s going to
happen down the road. That said, we sold our tile press and presently
have no plans to resume tile production.
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I'd like to purchase some of your tiles. Do you have any left?
Our tiles are long gone. To our
knowledge, none of our authorized retailers have any of our tiles left
in stock. Your best chance of finding our tiles will probably be to
look for a private collector who is selling them. Ebay® seems to be a
good place to check.
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I have some of your tiles and I’d like to use them in an
installation. Can you give me any advice?
IMPORTANT: EFP’s tiles are porous. They are not recommended
for very wet environments, such as shower stalls and tub
surrounds.
If you will be using EFP tiles for a project that requires
setting them with grout, we strongly
advise sealing the tiles prior to grouting. If the tiles are not
sealed effectively, grout can get in the pores of the microcrystalline
glaze and dull the surface of the tile. If grout gets into the
microscopic pores of the glaze, it is virtually impossible to remove.
Recommended sealer:
Impregnator Pro*, solvent based impregnator-sealer by StoneTech
* Todd, our former tile maker, tested several different
sealers, and this was the one that worked best on our tiles. It is
possible that other sealers may work as well. We recommend consulting
a tile installation professional in your area for guidance and
suggestions.
Recommended application of
Impregnator Pro to EFP tiles:
IMPORTANT: The
directions that follow are only intended as a general guide. Always
follow the safety precautions and instructions for the specific
product that you are using.
1)
Before grouting, liberally apply 3
coats of sealer to tile. Allow approximately 1 hour of drying time
between coats.
2)
Mask off tile as an extra precaution.
3)
Once installed, remove tape and wipe
off tile using a towel dampened lightly with either Impregnator Pro or
a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water.
If you have any questions, we strongly recommend consulting a
tile installation professional in your area for guidance and
suggestions.
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Are there any other tile makers that you would recommend?
For beautiful Arts and Crafts style
tiles that can be displayed decoratively or used in installations, we
recommend Motawi Tileworks –
http://www.motawi.com. |
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About our mailing list
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I’d like to sign up for your email list but I’m concerned about my
privacy and I don’t want to start getting a bunch of junk email. Is
my contact information kept private?
Ephraim Pottery does not sell, rent,
or otherwise distribute your email address, name, or contact
information to other parties. Your email address is used solely to
correspond with you based on the preferences you select when you sign
up for our email list, or to correspond with you about an order you
placed with us or a shipment you received from us. If you have any
questions or concerns about the privacy of the information you provide
to us, please
contact
us. |
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About gift-giving
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Do you offer gift certificates?
Yes. Gift certificates are available
in any amount and can be ordered over the phone using a credit card or
in person at the Ephraim Pottery Studio Gallery. The gift certificate can be sent to you or directly to the
recipient. Gift certificates are valid for one year from date of issue
and can only be used on when ordering or purchasing directly from EFP
through a catalog order, at our gallery or at a show. EFP gift
certificates cannot be redeemed at our authorized retailers.
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My husband/wife/partner/ children/mother/father/ __________ (fill in
the blank here) never seems to know what kind of gifts I’d like.
What I’d really like is some great Ephraim pottery! Do you have any
suggestions on how I can make it easy for them to get me what I
really want?
Yes! Give us a call. We can create a
“Wish List” for you in our computer system. All you need to do is to
simply instruct those gift-givers to call us and tell us that they
would like to purchase a gift for you. We can then look up your list
and help them with all the details. Simple as that! |
If you have other
questions that weren't answered here or elsewhere on our web site, please
contact Kristin. Thanks! |
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