unique gifts

Rotund piglets take the form of a sugar bowl and creamer in Duangkamol's talented hands. A sleepy pig holds sugar, while a laughing pig pours cream. Both reveal the intricately crackled surface of true celadon.

Working with three kinds of local clay and glazes made from banana leaf ash, Regina Aguilar of Honduras crafts this unique sugar bowl. The open jar features a raised dot motif and a rustic white glaze. The footed bowl can also be used for sweetener packets or tea bags.

Flowers blossom with an exuberant feast of colors on this creamer and sugar bowl set designed in the Talavera style of the state of Puebla. The motifs are painted by hand over the ivory-color the ceramic creamer and sugar bowl with a palette that includes yellow-orange, blue, and green flowers over a crisscross network of dots and crosses. Bordered by a black honeycomb, the creamer and sugar bowl come from the 'Zacatlán Flowers' collection designed by Pedro Tecayehuatl.

Talavera is a distinctive art form brought to Mexico by artisans from Talavera de la Reina, Spain. The ceramic artisans of Puebla, Mexico then incorporated Chinese designs, thus creating the blue and oyster-white patterns traditionally associated with Talavera Poblana. Today there are also more "contemporary" designs that include yellow, green, orange, mauve, black and red.

National and international conventions require that a rigorous procedure be followed in the elaboration of authentic Talavera-style ceramics. Each individual piece will be slightly different, and therefore a unique work of art.

You'll be itching to pour your next cup of tea using Nyoman Suarmini's darling teapot and cup set. The Balinese artisan crafts the pot, two cups, and two matching saucers from smooth, white ceramic, which is shaped by hand to achieve the set's unique slanted design.