Tonight a brand new color joins the Suite One Studio ranks as we introduce our latest studio glaze: Tourmaline. This bold color and mirror-like gloss is not for the faint of heart. We love the way this glaze holds firm middle ground between a rich green and a deep, inky blue, making it the perfect pair with our signature Rose pink and gold accents.

In the studio we tested and adapted several glaze formulas before landing on this final hue. Above you can see one of our first rounds of tests in which we fired. These samples show two different base glaze formulas mixed in a range of color saturation levels, fired to two different kiln temperatures. Because we make all of our own glazes, extensive testing is a normal part of our process whenever a new glaze joins the collection.

Before we offer a color to you, there are rounds of firings and adjustments happening behind the scenes. These tests are in place to ensure that the glaze is reliable and easy to replicate again and again, that the new formula "fits" the clay body during and after firings to prevent cracking or crazing as the piece ages (ever notice how antique pottery is riddled with tiny spiderweb-like cracks?) and that most importantly the vibrant color is achieved within food safety limits without using toxic or controversial materials. Did you know that aside from lead, ceramics can contain elements like Barium and Lithium to achieve beautiful but questionably safe surfaces? We skip over materials like that for your safety, and for our own in the studio.

We're so excited to finally offer Tourmaline in the shop, just in time for Thanksgiving and all sorts of wonderful holiday meals and festive get togethers! We're also now regularly stocking vintage tableware items to add to the Suite One Studio mission of Making Mealtimes Beautiful! You can shop these items right from the "Shop In Stock" tab while they last! Enjoy!