Every piece of pottery I make is decorated by hand, and no two pieces will be identical — even if they are the same shape and pattern, use the same glazes, and are fired together in the same kiln, on the same shelf. That’s part of the magic (and heartbreak!) of being a potter. Every piece is unique, and every piece has the potential to be a great success… if the kiln gods smile on you.

Sometimes though, pieces do come out of the kiln and are downright failures:

• They explode in the kiln (or just happen to be sitting next to the exploding piece).
• The glaze drips down onto the shelf and piece becomes fused. It has to be chiseled or broken off, which can render it unusable.
• The handles fall off a mug or platter.
• The colors don’t fire the way you anticipated (some colors, like pink and red, are prone to fading to white or beige). 

But many times the imperfections are very minor, and the piece itself is still fully safe to use and still quite beautiful, despite the appearance flaws. That’s where seconds (short for “Second Quality”) come in. Potters will often sell these pieces at a deeply discounted price and in many cases, unless you know what you’re looking for, you may not see the flaws unless someone points them out to you.

Because these pieces are still completely functional, the buyer gets a beautiful, handcrafted piece of pottery for bargain price, and the potter gets to realize some income from all of the effort expended to make the piece.

For a list of common blemishes you may see on a piece marked as a second, please refer to the article Common Pottery Blemishes.