Adding pottery to a home's decor can add an air of class and sophistication. Spanish pottery can be especially beautiful and is known for its vibrant colors and intricate patterns. When attempting to choose the best Spanish pottery, it's important to follow several guidelines to get the most bang for one's buck. This can usually be achieved by deciding on a budget, only buying from a reputable dealer, looking for authentic pieces and thoroughly inspecting the pottery when buying locally.
Unless money is no object, it's important for most people to first decide on an approximate budget before ever shopping for Spanish pottery. Since this type of art can often be expensive, knowing and keeping the financial limit in mind is very helpful. This should prevent the buyer from overspending while hopefully helping him or her to find some attractive pottery.
Another important part of the process is buying only from a reputable dealer. Due to the expensive nature of Spanish pottery, there are many charlatans and con-men out there that will quickly take advantage of people. Buying on a whim could result in buying fake pottery and potentially overspending. Therefore, an individual should have some experience and trust in the dealer if buying locally. If buying online, it's advantageous to read some reviews about the dealer before ever making a purchase.
When looking for the best Spanish pottery, it's also important to find only authentic pieces that come from Spain. For those who reside outside of Western Europe, it's sometimes difficult to find an authentic piece. As a result, it's important to either buy from a high end dealer with industry connections or buy online. Doing so should make it much easier to find real Spanish pottery and avoid fakes.
If an individual does choose to shop locally, there are some ways to tell if the pottery is authentic. For example, Spanish pottery should have intricate designs with bright colors with lots of red, yellow and blue. Also, there should be some minor imperfections and a sign of paint brush strokes on it. If a piece is completely uniform and perfect, it's highly likely that it was manufactured.
In addition, if the pottery is bought locally, it's important to give the piece a thorough inspection to ensure quality. The first thing to look for is the weight of the pottery. A quality piece will be significantly heavier than a mass manufactured piece. Also, there should be no signs of cracking or chipping anywhere on the pottery. These can be serious problems and could reduce the lifetime of a piece.