Wang Hongjuen's teapot

Due to the recent craze in teapot collection and a high demand for high quality teapots, the price of teapots made by established craftsmasters has increased more than ten folds. These teapots are too expensive for ordinary folks who are keen to collect teapots. Likewise, the teapots made by grand masters are scarce (they only made 3 to 4 teapots a year) and definitely beyond their reach. As such the advice given to beginners is to look for up and coming Yixing potters whose works are still affordable and have great potential in the future. These potters are hard-working, talented and have high aspirations. They send their pots to participate in competitions. It is just a matter of time before their work is recognized and won awards and accolades from their peers. If you look for an opportunity to invest in teapots, you should consider getting teapots from these talented potters. Of course, you need to consult reliable sources for your teapots as their teapots are also targeted by unscrupulous businessman who fake their work for a living.

Recently I spotted a teapot made by a female potter by the name of Wang Hongjuen in an antique shop. I knew that she was just a craftswoman in Yixing as I have read and seen her work in cyber space. Obviously I would not pay a high price for it. Also the shopkeeper did not quote a phenomenal price. As I insisted that the potter was only a craftswoman (more like a technician in the trade), I managed to knock the price down further. After I purchased the teapot, he handed me a small booklet that showcased her pots, there were a few of her pots which had won gold awards in national competition. The teapot I just bought was also featured in the booklet. This would be hard evidence to authenticate the originality of the pot (better than a guarantee card). Later I found out from internet sources that the potter was recently promoted to assistant craftsmaster in 2012.

Wang HJ's green teapot

This teapot is greenish in colour and has a crack-like (what they called broken-ice) appearance. The unusual green colour of the pot would make people suspect that pigment was used in the clay. But the book-let also introduced her husband whose job in Yixing involved the blending and mixing of clays used for making teapots. In fact he is the supervisor in the factory in-charge of matter (like R & D work) relating to Yixing clays. It is said that he has stockpiled more than ten tonnes of good Yixing clay, a common practice among Yixing potters to store this precious clay in huge quantity for their own use due to rapid decline in the stock.

王红娟，国家级助理工艺美术师，江苏省工艺美术学会会员，北京紫艺经贸有限公司名誉参谋。1967年出生于丁蜀陶艺世家，从小受到紫砂艺术的熏陶，长期从事紫砂创作与研究，并进修于中心工艺美术学院，所创作品既传统又追求新意，具有强烈个性，曾多次发表专业刊物，并在海内外陶瓷评选中屡屡获奖。其作品施法严谨，手法独特，喜欢从形、气韵、意趣入手，作品细部处理精致，装饰恰到好处整体布局虚实有致，吸收了中国传统工笔画的意趣布局，气魄生动有光鲜的个人特色，其作品深受国内外人士喜爱并珍藏。