Sky Ripples | 70ml

I was a little hesitant to say this out loud, because I’ve got a lot of friends who are U.S. potters, but these are the best gaiwans I’ve seen from any American maker. There are so many ways for a potter to express identity through teapots whether handles, proportions, lids, angles — but gaiwans are different. They’re more of a solved form. The lid has to sit just right, the flare of the body has to feel natural in the hand, and that 60–120ml range just seems to be the sweet spot for human hands. It’s tough, too, because machine-made gaiwans already do a really solid job functionally. I don't know if this is a chicken or egg situation but most teaware potters pour their energy into teapots, where there’s more room to play. That’s why I was so excited to see Jonathan stick with this form — iterating for over a year, tweaking, refining — and arrive here. Last year his gaiwans were beautiful as all his pottery is but functionally... I just wasn't excited yet. But these...These gaiwans are