Many enthusiasts argue that as long as the clay is good, whether the pot is entirely handmade isn't as critical compared to those made semi-manually (excluding machine-made and wheel-thrown pots). However, assessing the quality of the clay can be challenging. Nonetheless, understanding the craft is more complex.

Having a basic knowledge of the craft can help you judge the craftsmanship of some zisha Teapots and determine if the seller is misleading you. For example, they might claim a machine-made or wheel-thrown pot is semi-manual or insist a pot is entirely handmade when it's not, or even machine-made.

If a seller deceives you about the craftsmanship, their integrity may be questionable. In such cases, the supposed high-quality clay they claim to use may also be dubious.

Poor craftsmanship usually stems from inadequate foundational skills, and artisans typically don't use premium clay. While not always true, this scenario is common. After all, the clay and the craft complement each other. If the workmanship is meticulous with attention to detail, the clay quality is likely good.

In an entirely handmade pot, the inner wall reveals changes in the clay structure as it conforms to the pot's curvature, causing wrinkles and contractions. If the potter's bench is wooden, the inner wall will display intermittent horizontal textures from when the clay slab was beaten. Additionally, the inner seal mark will slightly deform but remain uniformly deep, with natural joins.

In semi-manual pots, the inner wall appears tight and smooth without any signs of contraction or seams. However, there will still be an inner seal mark, which is imprinted on the inner wall using a soft leather stamp while the body is still in the mold. The depth varies, being deeper at the edges and lighter in the center, with artificial seams that look rigid.

Machine-made pots have smooth inner walls. Handmade Teapot interiors won't be perfectly smooth; they bear marks of handwork. In contrast, machine-made pots are crafted with a roller that rotates inside the pot, making the inner wall exceptionally smooth. There are no join marks on the bottom, as the body and base are formed separately for handmade pots and then joined together. Machine-made pots form the body and base as one piece, leaving no seams. The clay lacks texture, and the pot feels heavier overall.

During the making of a machine-made pot

Wheel-thrown pots are shaped by hand on an electric turntable. They are commonly seen in red clay pots like Zhu Ni, as genuine zisha clay cannot be shaped through wheel throwing. To achieve this, glass water, kaolin, and iron oxide powder are added to the clay. A few years ago, the spiral marks left by the wheel were clearly visible inside the pot. Today, these marks are better concealed, with the walls built up high and the spiral patterns scraped away. However, upon closer inspection, faint spiral lines can still be discerned.

Wheel-thrown shaping

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