In this issue, we’ll talk all about Polish tableware!
This article will tell you everything you need to know about Polish tableware, from the unique character of the workshops to price quotes and how to spot a fake!
What is Polish tableware? Please read this article and enjoy the contents from beginners to those who already have a few pieces of Polish tableware.
What is Polish Tableware?
Polish tableware is tableware made in the small town of Boleslawiec in southwestern Poland.It is also called “Polish Pottery” or “Boleslawiec Pottery.
Because of its cute appearance and practicality, it is slowly gaining popularity among Japanese women these days!
It is popular not only in Japan but also in the U.S. and other parts of Europe, and you often see Americans bombarding Polish tableware stores in Warsaw.
YUKORIN also loves it!
Many celebrities are also fans of Polish tableware, especially Yuko Ogura, aka “Yukorin.
Polish tableware often appears on Yuko Rin’s Instagram!
YUKORIN seems to prefer subdued patterns that go well with Japanese food ^^.
Polish tableware, surprisingly, has many designs that go well with Japanese food! That may be one of the reasons why they have become so popular in Japan.
Three major attractions of Polish tableware
Here are three reasons why Polish tableware is so popular!
Oven, microwave, dishwasher all OK!
The first thing I love about Polish tableware is how practical it is!Oven, microwave, and dishwasher can all be used.
For example, let’s say you use the fish plate pictured above to make pumpkin cheese roast.
Put frozen cut squash in the microwave, warm it up, put cheese on it, bake it in the oven, and put it in the dishwasher when you’re done.
All of this can be done in one dish! No extra dishes to wash, and so convenient!
Wonderful that it not only looks good, but it’s practical too!
You’ll want them all! A Wide Variety of Designs
The second charm of Polish tableware is the variety of designs. There is an abundance of designs, from austere patterns that go well with Japanese cuisine to cute hearts all over the place!
The Polish tableware store is filled with colorful tableware that is fun to look at ^^.
Even my husband, who is not interested in tableware, murmured, “This is fun.
In addition to tableware, there are also miscellaneous goods such as chairs and ornaments.
I want this and that, and I find myself buying too much… ^^;
Your own one-of-a-kind! All handmade designs
All painting on Polish tableware is handmade.
Each piece is individually painted by a craftsman using small stamps and brushes. Therefore, if you look closely, you can see that the color intensity and the position of the stamps are slightly different.
Character and animal patterns are more obvious, and each one has a different face. I have the pleasure of picking out one of my own favorites!
There are plenty of Polish tableware workshops out there!
Are you about to want Polish tableware? (LOL)
When buying Polish tableware, be sure to pay attention to which workshop it is made in!
Boleslawiec, the production center of Polish tableware, is home to a number of large and small workshops, each with its own unique character and color.
Here’s a quick rundown of some typical workshops!
Popular among the Japanese! Ceramika Artystyczna
Ceramica, a workshop popular among Japanese people. It is characterized by its cute and delicate designs.
From cute to classy floral designs, there’s plenty of variety! The quality is also quite good.
Ceramica is also the most common Polish tableware in our home.
Polish tableware for ages! Zakłady Ceramiczne Bolesławiec
Zakłady, a long-established Polish tableware workshop. It has many traditional patterns and is the most “Polish tableware-like”.
It is said that Polish tableware fans who have bought all kinds of tableware end up with the peacock eye pattern (the dotted pattern in the photo above). In the end, simple is best.
There are many directly managed stores in Poland and they are easy to find.
Cute retro vibe! WIZA Company (WIZA)
Viza is popular for its retro, warm patterns. It is the third oldest workshop after Zakłady and Ceramica.
I love the salad bowl buta here ^^.
Just the presence of this child at the dining table is soothing.
Pop design! VENA Company (VENA)
The Vena company is known for its pop designs. It is a relatively new workshop, but it is very popular in the U.S. and other parts of Europe.
The VENA factory is not strictly speaking Boleslawiec pottery, as it is not located within Boleslawiec.
However, I have used some of them, and I feel that the quality is no different from other Polish tableware.
What is the price of Polish tableware? How much is the difference between local and Japanese prices?
The price of Polish tableware varies greatly depending on the design and shape. Simple designs are cheaper and more elaborate designs are more expensive.
Prices also vary considerably depending on the place of purchase.
Prices are higher in the following order: directly managed stores of each workshop < domestic Polish tableware stores < imported tableware stores in Japan.
If you buy them in Poland, you’ll get them for about a third to a quarter of the Japanese price!
Here are some prices for your reference. (Prices vary depending on the place of purchase, design, etc., so please use this only as a reference.)
Price of mugs
A medium-sized cup with a standard pattern costs around 1,000 yen if bought in Poland and 3,000 yen in Japan.
For example, the price of this mug by Zakłady ↓.
- Directly managed store in Boleslawiec 24 zloty (about 700 yen)
- 36 zloty, Polish tableware specialty store in Warsaw, Poland (approx.)
- Japan 3,000 yen
The price of this mug and saucer set by Ceramica ↓.
- Boleslawiec directly managed store 30 zloty (about 850 yen)
- Polish tableware specialty store in Warsaw, 42 zloty (approx. 1,200 yen)
- Japan 2,750 yen
Flat dish price
A 20 cm diameter piece costs around 1,000 yen if bought in Poland and 3,000 yen in Japan.
For example, the price of this flat plate by Zakłady ↓.
- Boleslawiec directly managed store 21 zloty (about 600 yen)
- 36 zloty, Polish tableware specialty store in Warsaw, Poland (approx.)
- Japan About 3,000 yen
Price of small bowl (bowl small)
The same is true of small bowls with standard patterns, which cost around 1,000 yen if bought in Poland and 3,000 yen in Japan.
For example, the price of this small bowl by Ceramica ↓.
- Boleslawiec directly managed store 21 zloty (about 600 yen)
- Polish tableware specialty store in Warsaw, 29 zloty (approx.)
- Japan 2,900 yen
What is fine Polish tableware/Unicut?
UNIKAT is a complex design that can only be made by selected designers. The price is considerably higher than standard patterns.
This popular Unicut pattern by Zakłady is 100 zloty for a set of cups and saucers (price at a specialty store in Warsaw). This is more than double the price of the standard pattern.
This Polish mug by Ceramica is 86 zloty (Boleslawiec direct store price). That’s more than three times the price of the standard pattern!
This is a very high quality urchin cut by Ceramica. It is probably a limited edition pattern. My goodness, even at the cheapest directly-owned store price, one mug costs 225 zloty (about 6,300 yen)!
You can get regular sea urchin cuts at a reasonable price there if you buy them at a directly operated store in Boleslawiec. If you ever go to Boleslawiec, why not try sea urchin cuts? ^^
Where can I buy Polish tableware?
Once you have an idea of the price of Polish tableware, go ahead and buy some!
There are three main places where you can buy Polish tableware.
- Boleslawiec
- Warsaw, Krakow and other Polish cities
- Japanese domestic
Here are the details on each one!
Boleslawiec
In Boleslawiec, the birthplace of Polish tableware, there are many stores directly operated by the various workshops!
There’s a much larger variety than you’ll find anywhere else, and it’s cheaper! If you like Polish tableware, this is definitely a fun town to visit.
You can read more about Polish tableware stores in Boleslawiec in this article => [2019 Newest] Polish Tableware Stores in Boleslawiec Summary & Saturday & Sunday Opening Hours!
Boleslawiec is a hard place to get to… ^^^;
First, from Warsaw, take a train (about 3.5 hours) or plane (about 1 hour) to Wroclaw. Then, from Wroclaw to Boleslawiec takes about 1 hour by train.
A day trip from Warsaw is quite hard. An overnight stay in Boleslawiec or Wroclaw would be a good idea.
Polish tableware is completely made to order, so what we sell at our directly managed stores are mainly surplus or second-grade items.
Please note that just because you go to a directly-managed store does not guarantee that you will get the product you are looking for.
Within Poland (Warsaw and Cracow)
There are stores specializing in Polish tableware in all major Polish cities. Warsaw and Krakow have a large selection of stores, so it is best to buy in one of these cities.
You can find a list of stores in Warsaw in this article => [2019 Newest] 6 Polish Tableware Shops in Warsaw Recommended.
Japan
You can buy Polish tableware in Japan! The main places are online stores and department store events.
Fake Polish tableware has been circulating recently.We recommend that you buy from a store that handles authorized imports to avoid getting caught with a fake!
Here are some stores that carry genuine products.
豊富な柄と品揃えのポーランド陶器専門店【セラミカオンラインショップ】
ポーリッシュポタリー(ポーランド食器)専門店 KERSEN Online Shop 楽天市場店
Beware of counterfeit Polish tableware!
Unfortunately, there are many counterfeit Polish tableware available in Japan. A quick search on the Internet turned up a lot of them.
For example, the brand PORSKA. There is no workshop with such a name in Poland…. (By the way, Polish is written “POLSKA” in Polish ^^;)
If you look closely at the product description, it says “Country of origin: Japan”….
Also, the description of it as “Scandinavian” is also very questionable… Poland is Eastern Europe!
Be wary of anything that is priced much lower than the market price! They are not!!!
Counterfeit measures! Don’t forget to check your stamps!
On the back of Polish tableware, you will find the stamp of each workshop. Always check for the stamp before purchasing.
Anything that isn’t stamped, or has a stamp that you’ve never seen before, could be a fake, so beware!
Below is a list of stamps from some of the most representative workshops, to help you check them out! (Zakłady company has two stamps. (Please ignore the blue sticker in the photo of Manufaktura’s stamp…)
We have heard rumors of counterfeit products being sold in souvenir shops and other shops in Poland.
I myself have yet to see any fakes in Poland, but I often find that Polish tableware sold in ordinary souvenir shops is not of good quality.
I think it is best to buy from a store specializing in Polish tableware.
How to tell the difference between first- and second-class Polish tableware and how to recognize it.
Polish tableware is completely made-to-order. In other words, the workshop begins to make products only after receiving an order from a distributor. The workshop begins to produce the products after receiving an order from the distributors.
And Each workshop ships only first-class products that meet its own quality standards. Those that do not meet the standards are sold at a discount at the workshop’s own store. These are second- and third-grade products.
You can tell what class it is by the sticker!
To find out what grade the product is, check the sticker on the product.
[Seal by Zakłady].
First class is marked with a blue seal. Gat. 1 = 1st class.
Second class is marked with a green sticker. Gat. 2 = 2nd class.
[Ceramica seals].
The first class is a white or blue sticker. 1 Qlty = 1st class.
The green sticker is for the second class. 2 Qlty = 2nd class.
Grade 4 products are red stickers.
It is very easy to understand what class of product Zakłady and Ceramica are ^^^.
Some workshops do not color-code their seals, or do not indicate what grade they are in the first place.
What is the difference between first and second class?
I have a few 2nd grade pieces, but I can hardly feel any difference compared to the 1st grade. I have a few second-class products, but I don’t notice any difference between them and the first-class products.
If it is a 3rd grade or lower, the design is obviously off or at worst missing. I would not buy them no matter how cheap they are. I guess from a Japanese point of view, I would sell them;
The degree of substandard quality differs from one workshop to another.
They decide on the basis of whether or not the pattern is missing, whether or not there are areas where the glaze used to coat the surface is not applied, and so on.
Sometimes I see things that make me wonder, “Is this really first class?” I sometimes see things that make me wonder, “Is this really a first-class product? This is often the case at ordinary souvenir shops that do not specialize in such things.
Regardless of the level of the class, you better check it out before you buy it!
Once a year! Boleslawiec Pottery Festival
Boleslawiec, the birthplace of Polish tableware, holds a pottery festival once a year.
Various large and small workshops in Boleslawiec gather in the central square. There are more than 60 stores, including general stores and food stalls! The whole town is in a festive mood.
I was at the 2019 Boleslawiec Pottery Festival myself, and it was so much fun! If you like tableware, it’s definitely worth a visit ^^.
Here’s my report on my visit => I went to the Boleslawiec Pottery Festival 2019!
Polish Tableware Book
I recently read a very interesting book on Polish tableware.
They tell you, “Polish tableware goes well with this kind of food,” or “You can use it in this way,” along with photos of the dishes.
There were many new discoveries in the book, such as “Wow! I found many new discoveries.
It was fun to imagine just by reading ^^It is easy to read because the pictures are the main part of the book.
Polish tableware makes your dining table gorgeous.
I have talked about Polish tableware for a long time, but I hope that I have conveyed the charm of Polish tableware to you.
I had never heard of Polish tableware until I moved to Warsaw. I was never particular about tableware in the first place;
But recently I started using Polish tableware, and I was amazed at how much just using good tableware can change a dining experience! Even though the tableware has just changed, I feel that the food looks much better and tastes better too (laughs).
I recommend Polish tableware ^^.
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