FAQ

care & maintenance

Made OF Australia’s range of food safe, functional tableware has been coated with a water-based sealer made from quartz (otherwise known as silicon dioxide or SiO2). This inhibits the growth of mould, algae & scale, repels water & other liquids, & greatly minimises the staining caused by fats, acids & alkalis. This revolutionary sealer creates an invisible barrier between the ceramic surface & the food upon it. It is commercial dishwasher, microwave & oven safe up to 450°C. It is freezer & liquid nitrogen safe to -70°C, but like all ceramics susceptible to thermal shock if taken from one extreme to another, so cool or heat slowly especially with finer pieces.

There is no need for harsh commercial detergents when cleaning, in fact reducing or removing contact with solvents, abrasives & synthetic chemicals will prolong the life of the coating. Mild detergent washes & soft cloths are all that is necessary to keep your dinnerware in top condition. Whilst dishwasher safe, hand washing is reccommended wherever possible to extend the life of your pieces.

Over time the “lotus effect” of the water beading on the surface will diminish (as the tiny upright particles flatten out & no longer create the same water tension). This will not affect the effectiveness of the seal.

Some liquids will stain the surface if left in contact for extended periods of time, as the natural dyes fuse with the quartz coating in the same way glazes can be affected over time. This is not considered a flaw, & instead welcomed as part of the aging process that adds to the character of a piece.

replacements, repairs, exchanges & refunds

If you have purchased a product you believe to be faulty please get in touch so we can rectify the problem immediately. Made OF Australia is committed to providing you with quality works of art, so if something out of the ordinary happens with your purchase, we want to know about it straight away. We will of course fix any issue not caused by neglect free of charge. Please note that each piece is completely unique & so differences from the images provided as a guide is expected & not considered a fault. If you have a specific request for markings, you canmake your request in the comments when ordering.

If you have broken or damaged your piece through improper handling or care & are now frantically looking at our website for help (oops) just email us so we can try to help fix it, we promise we’ll do our best to make it right again.

Made OF Australia does not usually provide refunds for errors made by the purchaser or for “change of mind” decisions made after dispatch, but we will do our best to accomodate you with a suitable exchange or replacement if the product was accidentally ordered incorrectly, or if the recipient isn’t as excited about their gift as you’d like them to be (that has never happened, but strange things are possible, & buying gifts is stressful, so we’re happy to help make it easier). Send us an email & we’ll do our best to make you smile again.

liquid quartz

Please see the Liquid Quartz page for full info about our sealer & check the Liquid Quartz General Information Sheet found there for more detailed instructions & application tips. If your question is still not answered after reading through all the information provided there, please email us. The main answers we give are:

No, Liquid Quartz cannot make your underfired or toxic glazes food safe. It is a permeating sealer, it will not seal over a glaze. It is designed for unglazed ceramics.

Yes, you can seal the unglazed section of your pot without effecting the glazed section, & yes, it can make a leaky pot waterproof if it can reach & permeate the stable clay body underneath.

Yes, we ship globally. No we can’t tell you how much it will cost to ship via email – please go to the shop & put your shipping address in at the checkout to calculate it automatically. We currently do not have permanent international stockists, but are working on it. COVID has delayed our progress with this, so in the meantime global shipping is the only solution.

shipping

Please read the notes at the top of the page in the shop to be sure you are aware of our shipping cycle. Choosing express post relates to the Australia Post policy & transit times once collected from us, & does not mean your goods will leave us more quickly if you order on a non shipping day. Please remember we are also the makers, & we need time to make too.

In these strange times we cannot reply to the excess of emails about shipping delays individually. Please contact the third party shipping service provider directly with enquiries about their individual policies on delays, we apologise but we cannot do this for you. Your tracking number is found at the confirmation link emailed to you when you ordered.

Refunds will be issued if the goods are returned or proven lost by the shipping provider. We cannot refund orders in transit that are delayed for reasons beyond our control, like COVID.