When Cornish Tea approached us to create a bespoke charm for them, it seemed like an excellent idea. A sterling silver teapot charm has great popular appeal, as there’s nothing we Brits like more than a pot of tea. A symbol of friendship and comfort, the teapot is a stalwart in every British kitchen.
The sterling silver pendant we came up with is the perfect homage to our affection for a good brew. The pot-bellied shape of the teapot charm was inspired by the lovably round vessel that Cornish Tea use on their packaging. It’s got real personality, yet like tea itself, is quietly elegant. It’s small – just 10.3mm high – so can be worn on a neck chain or on a charm bracelet.
The Cornish Tea teapot is of the classic rounded shape known as the “Brown Betty”. Teapots first began to be used in China around 500 years ago, which makes them a fairly newfangled object in the history of Chinese tea drinking! (Before that, tea was a soupier affair, made from pounded and crushed leaf cakes.) In the seventeenth century, the teapot was introduced to Europe by the East India Company, and was originally known as an “East India Pot”. As we became more adept at creating porcelain (and here’s a Cornish connection, as the county produces the finest China clay!), teapots grew in popularity.
Tea was initially an upper class drink, but it gradually became the beverage of choice for all classes in Britain – indeed, sharing a pot of tea is still one of those activities that crosses all boundaries and barriers in the UK. Ordinary folk couldn’t afford the finest china teapots – so welcome, Brown Betty! Pleasingly round and unassuming, these red clay teapots were believed to produce the best tea, as the leaves had plenty of room to swirl around. These days, Betty has become an icon of teatime and tea drinking. (If you want to find out more about the fascinating history of teapots and British tea drinking, have a look at this article that featured in Fresh Cup Magazine.)
The Brown Betty shape may be simple, but we wanted to add some nice little details to really bring the teapot charm to life. Sticking out of the tiny lid, you can see the tag from a teabag, so a brew is clearly in progress! The spout is faithfully angled, to make sure that it’s a good pouring shape. We like to make sure that we get details like this accurate, so we can capture the personality and look of the original.
We made the pendant exclusively for Cornish tea, and it’s available to buy through Bonds the Jewellers. If you have a logo or symbol that you think would make a good promotional or retail item, please let us know. We take on commercial projects like this one, as well as heritage projects; and we love the challenge of taking a logo or emblem and turning it into beautiful jewellery.