Listen to the sound when tapping a purple clay Teapot,

“Authentic purple clay sounds crisp and pleasant, while fakes sound dull like bricks.”

“Good clay sounds crisp and pleasant, while poor quality clay sounds dull like bricks.”

I've heard this topic mentioned more than once by fellow teapot enthusiasts, and some even tap the body of a teapot with its lid to listen to the sound and then comment on whether the teapot is genuine or of good quality. But is it really so simple?

Crisp vs Dull

Firstly, the sound produced by tapping depends on the shape of the pot, the type of clay, and the particle size. Any change in these variables alters the pitch and tone of the sound.

Secondly, a crisp and pleasant sound versus a dull one usually refers to the tone, which is more related to the degree of vitrification (degree of crystallization). The higher the degree of vitrification, the crisper the sound will be.

If there's damage to the teapot, even if the material remains unchanged but the structure changes, the tone produced by tapping will be dull.

Furthermore:

Purple clay is a type of Pottery, and most won't produce a clear, ringing sound like porcelain when tapped.

Moreover, repeated firings increase the degree of vitrification and crystallization.

Red clay is a good example; multiple firings result in a deeper, brighter color, indicating a higher degree of vitrification.

This explanation should give you a basic understanding:

By listening to the sound produced by tapping, you can only determine the degree of vitrification or whether there is any damage, but not whether the teapot is authentic or of good quality.

The Origin of Tapping

In the past, when dragon kilns were used for firing purple clay Teapots, temperature control was not possible, and everything depended on the skill of the kiln master.

Different clays have specific firing temperature requirements. Therefore, after the teapots came out of the kiln, some makers would tap the body of the teapot with its lid to judge whether the teapot had been fired at the correct temperature or had any cracks or hidden flaws, based on the tone of the sound.

However, most teapot enthusiasts do not have the ability to make such judgments, and simply saying that the sound is either crisp or dull is insufficient.

This method of identification may have originated from teapot sellers trying to mislead customers, or perhaps some enthusiasts saw teapot makers doing it and imitated them, leading to misinformation being spread.

In short

The authenticity and quality of a Purple Clay Teapot cannot be determined by listening to the sound it makes.

The different types of clay and firing temperatures produce varying sounds upon tapping. Frankly, apart from detecting damage, most teapot enthusiasts cannot discern much from the sound alone.

I hope teapot enthusiasts will stop using this method.

Firstly, it is an ineffective way to evaluate teapots.

Secondly, it's very easy to accidentally damage the teapot, and breaking your own teapot is one thing, but breaking a friend's teapot or a seller's teapot can be quite awkward.