A friend messaged me on WeChat saying that someone had commented his Teapot was not up to par, the material not solid enough, and it was a corner-cutting practice. He asked me for my opinion.

Purple clay Teapots do vary in weight. When making a teapot, the clay strips are usually rolled to a thickness of three millimeters. During the pot-making process, with repeated patting and the shrinkage from firing, the actual wall thickness becomes even thinner.

This is related to the potter's technique. Some are made lighter, for example, thin-walled Gong Chun pots, as thin as paper, or red clay thin-walled teapots. These kinds of teapots showcase the potter's skill; their success rate is very low, and they require an extremely high level of craftsmanship, highlighting the potter's ability, thus their value is higher.

Others are made with a moderate weight, with a feel that is just right, which also requires a high level of skill to achieve. This kind of balance is hard to master and necessitates a solid foundation.

As for those heavy, excessively dense teapots, they are not necessarily an indication of using more material. Often, new potters who have not yet mastered the use of material will make their teapots too heavy. When filled with water for Tea brewing, these teapots become cumbersome to handle, and such teapots generally have lower value.

The cost of purple clay material per teapot is not very high. The real value of a Purple Clay Teapot lies mainly in its craftsmanship, so don't be misled.