Help recognizing makers mark/quality of yixing

[brasssailor]

Hello all,

I've been reading the forum for a while and have increased my knowledge loads, thank you very much for posting so much information.

I've decided to join in and buy my first yixing teapot, i've got my eyes on this one, and would appreciate any help you can give. I understand this might not be a fine teapot, but I hope to get started with and learning more with time be able to find something more special.

many, many thanks for any help you can give.

[gingkoseto]

It's made by Wu Aifen. Her seal can be read in two ways.
But gnerally speaking, when you buy a yixing below $100, the craftsperson's name is not a big factor to consider.
From the photo, it seems the teapot is made of usable clay. Wu Aifen is a fine craftswoman, her market price is not inflated, and she is not so famous to cause anybody to use her seal to make fake products. So chances are the teapot is ok, just talking about the general chance here

[brasssailor]

Thank you very much,

When you say, 'usable clay', what exactly would be the meaning? I'm vegan, and would be too ironic to ended up getting toxins from making tea in the wrong teapot!!

[gingkoseto]

Thank you very much,

When you say, 'usable clay', what exactly would be the meaning? I'm vegan, and would be too ironic to ended up getting toxins from making tea in the wrong teapot!!

Oh by usable, I mean it's probably good to use, not necessarily top quality, but it looks like real yixing clay. But after all, when you can't hold a teapot to check it out, it usually largely depends on how comfortable you feel about the deal and the source.

[MarshalN]

Thank you very much,

When you say, 'usable clay', what exactly would be the meaning? I'm vegan, and would be too ironic to ended up getting toxins from making tea in the wrong teapot!!

Any and all worries about toxins in clay are overblown

[togei]

Here is a great site, http://humi.cside.com/ It is all in Japanese but if you poke around you will find a lot of pictures of Yixing pots and seals.
Dave

P.S. This is a couple of clicks in from the link above, http://humi.cside.com/gallaly/gallarymenu.htm The top level is galleries of old pots. Click on any one and often there is a picture of the signature.
The next level of current pots, same about the signature.

The next level is pots made in Taiwan.
The rest of the levels are other miscellaneous pots.

[brasssailor]

thanks for all the help, the pot arrived 3 days ago on a nice little box, £14 delivered, and tea stops flowing just by placing a finger over the lid hole.

I have no idea how to compare the quality of the tea pot or if it's real yixing, I hope it is, for me it's perfect! Thanks!