Product Care and Use
Recommended Care
Many of Studio Sardine's functional wares can be washed in the dishwasher (top rack only) however, hand-washing with a soft, non-scratching, sponge or cloth and a mild soap, is recommended and will be the gentlest way to clean your piece and keep it in it's best condition. Dishwashing fluid is heavily alkaline which can deteriorate surfaces over time. If your piece has any gold luster on them, they are strictly hand-wash only.
Microwave Safety
We do not recommend our handmade wares to be used in the microwave. It is difficult to forcast in the future whether a well-fitting glaze now may or may not expand or contract at a different rate than the clay beneath over time, if microwaved repeatedly. While short, infrequent trips in the microwave are likely no issue (as long as there is no wire or metal luster on the piece, of course), the issue becomes more complicated depending upon how long and how often an individual might use the microwave. For these reasons, we do not recommend microwave use to preserve the longevity of your piece.
Food Safety
Studio Sardine pieces are made with lead-free glazes with careful consideration to construction and use of colorants and other materials to make ware as safe to use and leach-resistant as we can. If pieces are used in the manner they are intended for and cared for properly (see above information), ware should be safe to use for several years. This topic is more thoroughly covered in the paragraph about "Intended Use" but, if you have a concern, please discontinue use of the piece and contact us at: hello@studiosardine.com.
We use pyrometric "witness" cones in each firing, as well as a kilnsitter (a mechanism that turns off the kiln only when it reaches the heatwork, heat + time, required for that cone). Using cones is a more reliable way to know whether you are firing to the correct temperature and for the correct length of time recommended to mature glazes and clay, instead of relying simply on pyrometer (essentially a thermometer) readings or trusting the program settings of the kiln. However, our pieces are handmade and we would want to be notified of any flaws that escaped our attention or that may have come to light after repeated use.
Use A Coaster!
Some stoneware clay bodies are porous by nature. Studio Sardine tests our materials to reduce the porosity of our stoneware to 1% or less. This means instead of water soaking through a stoneware piece, like it would an earthenware such as terracotta, it may weep very slightly after holding water (as might rumple a piece of paper slightly). It can be necessary to use a protective coaster underneath your stoneware vase, mug, heavily watered planter, etc., to protect your surfaces from accumulated moisture, whether left holding water for a few hours or days. Studio Sardine is not liable for marks left on surfaces that vessels may leave due to the nature of the medium.
Breakage During Shipping/ Lost Packages
Please alert Studio Sardine immediately of shipping breakage or lost packages. While there is no guarantee of a refund for lost packages, depending upon your specific tracking progress and whether it had been marked as "delivered" by the shipping company, we will evaluate the individual circumstances of your lost package on a case-by-case basis. If upon receipt of your package the outside appears battered or damaged in any way, please photo document the damage to the outside of the package and the unboxing of your items. This will assist in the quest to refund money from the shipping company.
Breakage After In-Person Pick-Up
As soon as a piece is purchased from Studio Sardine in person, it becomes the buyer’s responsibility. We wrap our work extremely well with specifically chosen packaging material to help you get it home safely. However, good packing does not make a fragile piece invincible. Whether you use our bags or one of your own, you still need to be careful of your purchases, whether that means holding a bag by it’s bottom if full or heavy, being cautious of adding other purchases to your bag, on top of your ceramic items, and setting it down gently, etc.
Studio Sardine cannot afford to replace or repair items broken by you and will not do so on principle. We craft each piece with great care and attention to detail and if you drop a piece (or knock it into something else, etc.) and it breaks, it is your responsibility. Ceramics and pottery are fragile by nature and even in the category of “ceramics,” there is a spectrum of fragility from sturdier, more durable stoneware to delicate and thin porcelain. There is no breakage algorithm for ceramics. They can break from a one-inch drop and not break from a five-foot drop. It has to do with a combination of materials, the contact surface of the fall, the design, the angle of contact, on which edge it may have fallen, and....LUCK. There is no minimum threshold of abuse that a piece of pottery should be able to tolerate before breakage.
Finally, Studio Sardine ceramics are not appropriate toys or interactive decorations children. Even small figurines and such are not intended as toys. We are not responsible for children's breakage of fragile items you have purchased. Items such as bells that require a certain amount of interaction still need to be approached with care and sensitivity as there is always an element of fragility to ceramics, even if they are sturdy. Also, there may be sharp edges on decorative pieces. We do our best at Studio Sardine to eliminate scratchy nubs on functional work but pieces such as lanterns may have scratchy edges inside, where fingers are not intended to go.
Repair
For very minor repairs, such as reattaching an earring back or pin back, we recommend clear E600 glue. Follow the instructions on the package and use proper ventilation. Allow the repaired piece to cure in peace for a day at least.
For all other repairs, we recommend a clear, two-part epoxy. We suggest fixing the two largest pieces together and letting that repair dry before attaching the next piece, and so on. Neither of these recommend glues will be safe for food-contact (also, they likely will lose their capabilities if in contact with heat and/or moisture). If you are repairing a cup or bowl and the crack goes through the body of the vessel- you will need to cease using that piece for food service and use it as only a decoration instead. If, however, you have knocked off a handle on a favorite mug but the mug body (the fluid containment part) is unharmed, two-part epoxy may allow you to continue to use the mug with gentle hand-washing…but once again, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
If you are convinced in your heart-of-hearts that your piece can be mended and you would like further suggestions, you are welcome to email us at: hello@studiosardine.com. However, please understand that we are under no obligation to repair pieces that have been damaged through “user error.” If we think we may offer a repair solution that you cannot undergo yourself (possibly a small piece has been knocked off and may possibly be reattached with glaze and run back through the kiln*), a fee may apply. Our craft has a very high overhead and our profit-margin is low, we cannot afford to offer free repair services or materials.
*A solution likely only to apply to very small, simple, repairs.
Intended Use and Intended Product Lifespan
Please use your purchase in the manner it was intended. It may be unsafe to use for other purposes. For example, if a mug is sold with a candle inside, continue to use it only as a candle-holder. We occasionally have re-purposed vessels originally intended for drinking that, for one reason or another, were deemed unfit for food contact, by filling them with a candle (please read the product information on the included product tags). Likewise, pieces sold for the use of vases or flowerpots should not be used as food serving vessels- their liner glazes may not be appropriate to do so. We sell no pieces intended to be mobiles or wind-chimes; all hanging pieces are intended as indoor wall-hangings and are marketed as such. These pieces are not created to withstand knocking against each other and may break rather easily. Also, the natural fiber cords are not suitable for outdoor use as they will degrade over time in the elements. Likewise, if you have purchased a hanging planter and wish to use it outside, the natural cords need to be replaced with nylon or another weather-resistant material. When purchasing “seconds” at reduced prices, you accept the piece “as is,” and accept the possible limitations of use. If you have any questions about the intended use of your piece, perhaps because you forgot, lost included instructions, or received it as a gift, please feel free to email us at: hello@studiosardine.com.
We offer no guarantees on any of our work. It is high quality and well-made with great thought and intention. However, it is also handmade which can lead to occasional slight inconsistencies. We make and sell handmade art pieces that are often functional. Studio Sardine takes care to use materials in a safe manner and to manufacturer’s instructions. Food wares are made for the use of serving of food and not for use as food storage vessels* or cooking vessels (butter dishes are the exception here to "storage vessels"- they are made with a specific white liner glaze to make them especially safe for prolonged contact with food). Do not make quick temperature changes to ceramics, it will result in thermal shock and breakage (cold mug filled with boiling water, hot mug filled with ice cubes, etc.). It is recommended to warm your mug with warm water before use with hot liquid.
*Handmade ceramics should not be used to hold leftovers in the fridge, store highly acidic foods, etc. Prolonged contact, particularly of acidic foods, does increase possibilities of glaze degradation, possibly leading to colorant leaching over time.
Studio Sardine functional wares are durable and meant to be used for several years, depending upon the amount of daily use it sees and the care it receives. Just because we can still unearth pots from ancient cultures, doesn’t mean we should continue using them for a lifetime. Certain materials (clay, glazes, etc.) wear better than others and it is recommended to retire any pieces that show wear and tear (discoloration, cracks, some kind of spontaneous change) not resultant from a fall or breakage. If your functional piece is showing exceptional wear and tear early on (within the first three months of purchase), and you have followed the recommended care guidelines, please email us at: hello@studiosardine.com. We will analyze the situation and go from there.
Thank you for your respect and understanding,
Studio Sardine
hello@studiosardine.com