Questions, answered plainly
How a piece reaches you, what to do if something goes wrong, and how to live with porcelain that was made by hand.
Ordering and delivery
Where do the pieces ship from?
Direct from Jingdezhen, China, where they were made — there is no warehouse in between. Because these are hand-made objects in small numbers, each one is wrapped and boxed individually rather than picked from a shelf.
How long will delivery take?
Usually 7–13 working days from Jingdezhen to your door. A piece that has to be made or finished before it ships can take a little longer, and we will tell you if that is the case.
What will shipping cost, and are duties included?
Shipping is £5.99, and free on orders of £150 or more. Duties and import taxes are included — we pay them, so there is nothing to settle on delivery.
What currency are prices in?
Prices are shown in pounds sterling (GBP).
Can I add a gift message?
Yes. Tick "This is a gift" in the cart and write your message there. It travels with the order rather than appearing on any invoice.
Can I ask about a piece before I buy it?
Please do. Every piece is made in small numbers, so questions about availability, glaze variation or timing are welcome — we would rather you chose the right piece than the quickest one. We usually reply within two working days.
Returns and damage
Can I change my mind?
You can change your mind. Tell us within 14 days of receiving your order and you may return the piece for a refund, for any reason and without giving one; you then have a further 14 days to send it back. If you are a consumer in the UK or EU this is also your statutory right, and nothing here affects it.
How do I start a return?
Contact us before sending anything back, so we can confirm the correct return address. Pieces sent back without contacting us first may be delayed or go astray.
Who pays return postage?
If you are returning a piece because you changed your mind, you do. These pieces are fragile and travel a long way, so please pack carefully and use a tracked service. If a piece arrives faulty, damaged in transit, or is not as described, we pay for the return and you will not be out of pocket.
What condition does a returned piece need to be in?
Unused, and in its original packaging where possible. You may handle a piece as you would in a shop to see what it is; if it is damaged beyond that through unnecessary handling, we may reduce the refund to reflect the loss in value.
My order arrived broken. What now?
Porcelain travels well, but not always. Photograph the piece and the packaging before unpacking any further, then contact us. We will send a replacement, or refund you in full — whichever you would rather have. Breakage in transit is rare, and we would rather fix it than argue about it.
The pieces, and living with them
Why does my piece look different from the photograph?
Glaze pooling, small kiln specks, slight asymmetry and shifts in the depth of the blue are evidence of a hand and a fire, not of a defect. No two pieces from the same studio are identical, and that is the point.
Can I put it in the dishwasher or microwave?
Wash by hand: warm water, a mild detergent and a soft cloth, and no abrasive pads or scouring powder. Pieces with gold, iron-red overglaze or kintsugi-inspired repair detail must never go in a microwave, and should not go in a dishwasher — the metallic detail degrades long before the porcelain does.
How do I avoid breaking it?
Change its temperature slowly — no boiling water into a cold vessel, nothing straight from the fridge into a hot oven. Store pieces with a cloth or felt pad between them rather than stacked bare. Thin-walled work is most vulnerable at the rim, which is also the part you hold.
Who actually makes these?
Independent studios in Jingdezhen — Qing Ben Yuan 清本源, Qie Zhai 且斋 and LessKiln 无边窑 — alongside pieces made for JingTale itself. Every piece we carry can be traced back to the people who made it, and the studio is named on the product page.
Are pieces numbered?
Where a piece belongs to a numbered run, its edition is shown on the product page alongside the studio and reference. Pieces that are not part of a numbered run simply do not carry one.