The pieces we offer from Ceramika Artystyczna are absolutely only FIRST- QUALITY pieces. You can be sure of this when you see the white factory stickers on the bottom of each and every piece that we sell. It's the indication that your selection is Factory Certified First Quality. (If it doesn't have the "CA" factory 1st quality sticker it's a second, commonly sold at the factory stores.)

All the ceramic factories in the Boleslawiec area of Poland produce beautiful pieces, but the master ceramic artists employed by Ceramika Artystyczna produce fabulous designs and extraordinarily high quality pottery.

Ceramika Artystyczna has won numerous awards for artistic design and their quality. There is a difference in pottery: this particular stoneware is made of whiter, denser clay and incorporates more intricate designs and shapes. The quality of Ceramika Artystyczna's glazing is unsurpassed. The coffee pot with Castle mark on the bottom of each piece represents pottery from Ceramika Artystyczna.

Most of Ceramika Artystyczna's workers are women, including the president who is elected by her fellow artists. Many are graduates of the Wroclaw Academy of Fine Arts. The factory is a cooperative - all the profits are shared by the employees.

There are four main workshops or collectives that make Boleslawiec Stoneware. They are Wiza, WR Ceramika, Zaklady Ceramika and Ceramika Artystyczna. Ceramika Artystyczna or "CA" as it is known is famous for making the best quality pieces and they have the greatest number of patterns and styles.

The Care of Your Pottery
If you are new to using beautiful handmade high-fired stoneware, we can help with a little helpful information.

Strong and Durable
While all clay based products are breakable, Ceramika Artystyczna stoneware is incredibly tough because of the way it is made. First, the clay that is mixed to their own carefully developed specifications, then a thick durable clear glaze is used to seal it. Finally, the stoneware is fired at very high temperatures (2000+ degrees Fahrenheit) so the clay particles fuse together into strong, highly chip-resistant pieces.

Bakes Evenly:
One of the first things you'll discover about Ceramika Artystyczna Boleslawiec stoneware is the way the pieces hold and distribute heat for evenly browned crusts and casseroles that cook uniformly. If you're accustomed to bakeware with obvious hotspots, you'll be delighted with Ceramika Artystyczna stoneware.

Food Doesn't Stick:
Ceramika Artystyczna glazes have been state-certified to be 100% lead free, so don't give health issues a second thought. Also, the glaze quality and the high temperatures at which the pottery is fired result in surfaces with very low porosity, so foods can't stick and clean up is a snap. There is no need to soak baked-on cheeses and sauces. All pieces clean up in your dishwasher.

Ceramika Artystyczna stoneware may be used with confidence in your oven, microwave, freezer and dishwasher.

Avoid Dramatic Temperature Changes:
Very hot and very cold temperatures are handled nicely by this stoneware, but sharp temperature SWINGS are not. Rapid changes in temperature will deliver "shocks" and will not allow for the natural expansion and contraction required by the clay. Do not pour cold liquids into hot bowls or take a casserole dish out of the freezer and put it directly into a hot oven. Also, do not use over direct heat, i.e. range burners and open flames.

Gradually Warm Up Before Baking:
We recommend starting your baking in a cold or warm (300o) oven. Wait a couple of minutes to allow the stoneware to heat and then cook as normal at whatever temperature your recipe calls for. Since the stoneware retains even heat, it will continue cooking the food after removal from your oven. We recommend using the same cooking times as in your recipes and check for "doneness" as indicated.

You don't want to place a hot dish on a tile, stone, or metal counter either. That can cause damage to the piece - so use a hotpad to serve as a buffer.

Likewise with any fine stoneware or glassware do not allow them to bang together in a dishwasher or in your sink. If you use a rinse agent when cleaning in your dishwasher such as "Jet Dry," your dishes will sparkle.

Atop The Table Co. does not recommend extended microwave cooking with any stoneware. Cooking times over 6 minutes at high power in today's high powered ovens (1000 watts & more) should be handled by other cooking vessels. Microwave ovens create hotspots and continued exposure to high power microwave cooking may lead to crazing of the glaze where the oven heats unevenly. This has happened - but not frequently - on pieces used in a microwave on a regular basis for years.