teabug wrote: ↑Wed Dec 22, 2021 3:47 am
.m. wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:11 pm
…Yinchen Studio and Yann Gallery…Whether they are directly linked to the workshops that produce the pots is not that important.
To me that is precisely the most important part of their business. Both claim to be quality oriented workshops with internet distribution.
Yinchen Studio was found by Master Gao jian qiang(高建强) & Master Xu mei ping(徐美萍) in 2000. We insist on using the original Yixing purple clay which from Huanglong mountain. We use the traditional method to refine the ore without any chemical. Master Gao has more than 30 years experience in refining the ore. Master Xu has more than 40 years experience in crafting the teapots, she studied under Master Xu han tang(徐汉棠).
And don‘t even get me started on Yann Gallery
. I purchased my most expensive „fully handmade“ (her claim!) clay pot from her. Made by „master craftsman“ She Rong Fei. A pot that holds the record for slow pouring and awkward knob design. Needless to say that my three star review (I wrote that upon her request) never made it past the censor. But they adressed my points, silently changed the knob and spout design and took the original pots off the website, replacing them with the design 2.0 pots. A true „master“ of his craft that She Rong Fei…
Hi
@teabug. In no way do I want to discount the misfortune you had with the She Rong Fei pot you bought from Yann Art Gallery.
I would like to offer a different perspective, though, as I'm very happy with the seven pots I have from them.
Yann seems to refer to craftsmen without certification, such as She Rong Fei, as Capability Craft Master--someone with master capabilities but not certified. Shen Ye Chin on the same site is referred to in the same way. She's apparently waiting for her certification. The three pots I have from Shen Ye Chin are among my six or seven favorite pots in my modest collection.
Yann points out that She Rong Fei does not have certification: "She Rong Fei has no need for qualifications - he is a renaissance man with knowledge that spans beyond that of academia and certifications." The price of his pots at $285 US reflect this. I have two pots from him that I enjoy.
Teabug, if Yann's workshop, after you submitted your review, modified the design of your pot and removed from their website the other pots that were like yours, that would seem to indicate the site is directly linked to the workshops that produce the pots.
The TeaForum member and Zisha blogger,
@Youzi, seems to feel the pricing at Yann's is fair:
Youzi wrote: ↑
Sun May 09, 2021 4:51 am
"The prices seem to add up. If you look at the prices for the artist on the site "She Rongfei" it's also in the same price range. I think most or all of his teapots are fully hand made. I have the 90ml pear zhuni teapot.
His style / finishing seems more crude than other potters, which I think is a nice touch, but not that popular in China.
For more info you can probably ask Yanni about the pots you are thinking about."
(found here:
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1535&hilit=Yann&start=15 )
Another happy customer can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=18&p=30391&hilit=Yann#p30391
I'm by no means an expert. I only have the 40 or so teapots I've collected over a short seven years. My price ceiling is relatively low--$500 each for the three Shen Ye Chin pots is the most I've paid (and, boy, am I glad I did). My only vintage pots are two Green Label QSN pots and a (90's?) Hong Ni. So my field for comparison is not very wide.
However, I felt I wanted to spend my 2 cents worth saying novices looking into affordable modern Yixing teapots might find it worthwhile looking a Yann's. I've also read good things on TeaForum about Yinchen.