Zisha with high sand content

[tieguanyinfan]

I was going to post this into the "Yixing Clay Teapot" thread but after some thought, it may be more suitable to start a separate thread for this topic as there might be a lot of personal comments/opinions that would've hijacked the other thread. I have been pondering a while about the sand content in zisha. Does anyone know which type of clay would contain the highest percentage of sand in the mix and where would it be possible to purchase a teapot with a high sand content?

[tingjunkie]

Well, there's fine sand like you'd find in high quality zisha (zisha actually means "purple sand"), and there's rough sand that gets blended into other clays. Certain modern zhuni and duanni pots have this technique most often.

[tieguanyinfan]

From what you described, I guess I'm looking for fine sand.

[wyardley]

As mentioned above, 'shā' (砂) means, more or less, "sand". But while the literal name is 'purple sand', my limited understanding is that zisha isn't exactly "sand" or "clay" as we usually think of those terms in English. As in English, Chinese has compound words; I will defer to a native speaker or a linguist on this one, but I think it's safe to say that 'zǐshā' (紫砂) is considered a single word, and that it's a bit misleading to translate it too literally. As it's composed at the point where it's used to make teapots, I think it is closer to what we'd call 'clay' in English.

I wish I had a really good article to point you to. I can't vouch for the accuracy of this article, but it does give some background, and shows pictures of how the raw material looks when it's mined:
http://www.yeyoungtea.com/zisha-teapot.php

This shows some step by step pictures of the process of refining the raw material:
http://www.teapotgallery.com/yixingzisha.htm

Some pots may have larger bits of material mixed in for structural integrity and / or appearance, which may give a sandy appearance, but I don't think they are literally "sand" - I would guess maybe less refined bits of the same material? Maybe someone can clue us in on this point. Similarly, some types may have a more "sandy" appearance in both color or texture (modern duanni, for example).

[ChinesePottery]

A while back i wrote about zisha and how it's being produced nowadays.
Have a look over here: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=15208

[Dingshu]

As mentioned, the particular type of clay and the extent to which it's been refined can affect the apparent "sandiness" of a piece, but so can burnishing.

[tingjunkie]

From what you described, I guess I'm looking for fine sand.

Fine zisha pots (as opposed to more common types of zini) are harder to find and will not come cheap. A few of my buddies are convinced in their general superiority in terms of Yixing clay however. I'm still learning to tell the difference between real zisha and sand-blended zini myself. Sometimes you actually have to hold the pot and feel the difference in texture with your hands. Tim is great at telling the difference. If he sees this thread, maybe he can weigh in of the following pot...

From pics, I would wager this pot is the real deal. Notice the sandy texture, yet it still retains the buttery sheen. A bit larger than I normally use, but looks like a great pot to me. For comparison, notice the same "sandy yet buttery" thing going on in this zisha teapot of mine.