The making of a ceramic piece: costs, hours, and behind-the-scenes secrets
- Lucie Eleme
- Dec 26, 2025
- 2 min read
When you buy a piece from my shop, what you see is its shape, the glaze color, the finished object ready to join your table.But behind every plate or bowl lies an invisible story: one of time spent, money invested, repeated gestures—and failures, too.
Today, I’m opening the doors to the behind-the-scenes of a ceramic piece, so you can truly understand what you’re holding in your hands.
The true price of a bowl: much more than clay
It’s easy to think that making a piece doesn’t cost much: a bit of clay, some glaze, a skilled hand, and that’s it.But the reality is very different.
To make a ceramic piece, I need:
Raw materials: clay, glazes, tools.
Energy: a kiln that reaches 1250°C consumes a lot of power.
Equipment: a kiln and a potter’s wheel cost several thousand euros and require regular, costly maintenance.
Human time: dozens of hours of work.
And above all… the pieces that will never see the light of day because they cracked, split, or the glaze didn’t react as expected.
The invisible hours behind making a ceramic piece
To truly understand what goes on behind the scenes, you have to imagine everything you don’t see:
Throwing: from several minutes to several dozen minutes, depending on the piece.
Drying: several days of waiting—sometimes weeks if the weather is unpredictable.
Trimming: refining shapes, carving foot rings, smoothing surfaces.
First firing: 10 to 12 hours, followed by cooling.
Glazing: tests, dipping, adjustments.
Second firing: another 12 to 14 hours.
Then sorting, possible touch-ups, photography, uploading online, and prototyping.
And I’m not even counting the time spent cleaning the studio, recycling clay, and maintaining equipment.
Failures: the invisible side of the craft
Behind the scenes of a ceramic piece, there are also failures—ones we don’t often talk about.A piece that cracks after hours of work.A glaze that turns swampy green instead of the expected turquoise.A poorly calibrated firing that ruins an entire kiln load.
Every piece that reaches you is the result of dozens of successes… and just as many missteps.
Meticulous organization
For all of this to work, flawless organization is essential: planning production batches, optimizing firings to avoid wasting energy, managing inventory, photographing, writing, publishing, packing, and shipping orders.
The behind-the-scenes of a ceramic piece are also made up of these invisible but essential actions that allow each object to find its place in your home.
Would you like to know more about my handmade creations?
Behind every piece I put online, there is this hidden journey—made of patience, craftsmanship, and commitment.
If you’d like to discover my collections or ask questions about the making of a ceramic piece, visit:
Atelier Lucie Eleme – Handmade ceramics, Paris 20th arrondissement, Ménilmontant
The next time you hold a handmade bowl, think of all the stories it has lived through before reaching your hands.
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