How to tell a genuine piece

A genuine piece is not told by its looks -- an imitation can look convincing. It is told by the stamps. Every piece that has passed through the association carries three of them pressed into the clay: a handprint, the maker's mark, and the association's symbol with the Cyrillic word "Злакуса".

Handprint

That it was made by hand

Maker's mark

Who made it

Association symbol

The word "Злакуса"

Trademarked by

The Zlakusa potters' association

What each stamp says

The handprint stands for hand-making -- that the vessel did not come out of a mould. The maker's mark names the workshop, so a piece can be tied to a particular person and taken back to them with a question or a complaint. The association's symbol with the word "Злакуса" ties it to the area and to the method; that inscription is trademarked and is not free to put on anything.

What the stamps do not guarantee

A stamp says who made a vessel and how, not how good it is or what it should cost. Equally, the absence of a stamp is not automatically a fake: a piece bought straight from a workshop outside the association can still be real Zlakusa pottery. The stamps are proof, not the only proof.

Checks you can make yourself

• The surface is matt and porous, with none of the sheen of glaze
• The colour is uneven, red through to smoke-black -- that is the fire, not a finish
• The wall is noticeably thicker than on factory ceramics
• The seller can say which workshop it came from, and give you their contact

Why it matters at all

Because looks do not tell you whether a vessel can go on the fire. Zlakusa pottery can, because of the calcite in the clay. Decorative ceramics that resemble it usually cannot, and crack the first time they meet a flame.