What makes an item a second?
Seconds are imperfect. They haven’t passed our quality assurance for a number of reasons ranging from imperfections on the glaze surfaces, unexpected color results, cracks, fractures, warping, odd shapes, or missing/incorrectly placed stamps or maker's marks.Â
Below are some examples of what you can expect from a second. Please note that these depicted flaws and items do not represent the items available this year.
Glaze
Glaze bubbles, pooling, pitting, crawling, running, and extreme color variation can cause a piece to be deemed a second based on its glaze surface.
cracks + warping
With the extremely high temperatures of the ceramics process, warping and cracking are common reasons for pieces to be removed during our quality control review. You may still find minor fractures, cracking on the back side of tiles, warping, and chips that will not be visible after grouting amidst this seconds sale.Â
shape + form
This category is most applied to our vessels – vases and drinking vessels. When a new wheel thrown object is designed, or an artisan is being trained in our wheel thrown forms, many of their first attempts will end up as seconds.
stamps + markings
You may notice that some of our seconds are missing their signature Pewabic, Detroit, or artisan stamps. Other times the stamps may have been put in the wrong location. You will also notice a black X or a special stamp designated for seconds on the bottom or back side of each piece. This is how we track that an item is reserved for a seconds sale.
what is available
The sale includes vases, drinking vessels, and embossed art tiles while supplies last. Items in the sale will be priced up to 50% off. Member discounts do not apply to seconds sale items. No additional discounts apply. Seconds are sold as is and are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
learn more about the summer sale
Over the years, we have worked hard to perfect our Summer Sale process and have outlined the ways to make the most of your experience on the page below.