I Miss Pristine Pottery

Update 2024

Checked once more with devotea.com and the Pristine lids are no more. Best bet now is shopping for a vintage (that is  a used) Pristine teapot.

Update 2/20/19

I checked recently on the current stock of Pristine lids at devotea.com. It’s getting very bleak. There is nothing available for the smaller sizes (under 1.5 liter), and only a few choices (mostly uncommon colors) for the larger sizes (1.5 and 2 liter). If it’s time to give up on your workhorse teapot, I strongly recommend the Chatsford teapot line. They don’t have the range of colors that Pristine had, but they are excellent everyday teapots. Chatsford teapots at devotea.com

For a more modern look with plenty of color choices, check out the selections by For Life Designs at devotea.com

Teaman

I have a small collection of teapots. (all functional,  nothing funky.)  The workhorse in my stable is an old, 6 cup, English Pristine Pottery teapot in a matte navy blue.  Pristine was a unique English pottery.  They made almost exclusively teaware: teapots, creamer and sugar sets, milk jugs, tea tidies, and teacups.  What made them unique was the near perfect classic shape, the range of sizes (five sizes from 12 to 60 ounces), and more than 20 incredible colors.

So what happened?  China got ’em.  The English started buying cheap Chinese teapots and at the same time regulated the English potteries into the poorhouse.  With rising costs and falling sales, consolidations started.  Arthur Wood, one of the larger potteries, bought several smaller potteries including Pristine.  However, they were not to be saved either.  Within a year Arthur Wood filed bankruptcy and everything closed.

A few weeks ago, I had a call from a woman who was heart broken because she had dropped the lid of her “baby” as she called it, a six cup, matte navy blue Pristine teapot.  I could understand her pain!

Fortunately, I was able to help her, at least partially.  After years of selling Pristine teapots, we have accumulated a stock of lids in various sizes and colors, not navy blue, unfortunately.  Her “baby” is now two tone, but lives on.

 

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