Mexican Talavera & Greek Pottery 

SUPPORTING ARTISAN CRAFT.  HELPING CHILDREN THRIVE.

What is the magic and mystery of artisan handcraft - from the vibrant hues of Mexico's Talavera and Mayolica potteries to the centuries of stunning design found in ancient Greek Minoan pottery, found on the island of Crete? 

Is it because, in a mass-market world, the continued creation of handmade, hand-painted, quality goods that are unique, authentic and beautiful sparks a deeply personal response from many of us. 

It's simple:  People yearn for human-created goods that offer quality and beauty in our lives.  Rustica Gift & Pottery serves this mission.

BEAUTY, ART & HISTORY MATTER

Rustica Gift & Pottery launched with the simple idea that beauty, artistry and history matter - for your home, life and the world in which we live.  

In so many ways, handmade, artisan craft items like our Mexican Talavera pottery, along with our Majolica ceramics, hand-finished pewter and alpaca silver home décor items, natural handmade soaps and Minoan handcrafted contemporary pottery are extraordinary examples of a commitment to beauty, pride in artisan handcraft, and a pride in the use of quality, indigenous materials and techniques that far outshines any bulk-manufactured product.

OUR TALAVERA & GLOBAL ARTISAN JOURNEY

We believed that beauty could not only be enjoyed, but be used for to make life better for those less fortunate, all while supporting the continued existence of original, artisan handwork.  

We traveled to the beautiful Colonial villages of Central Mexico, to the islands of Greece and to our own backyard in North America.  Our mission?  To bring back for you the best pieces of artisan work we could discover; original, authentic, time-tested beauty with every piece made by generations of artisans. 

OUR ARTISANS

While we want to continually expand and discover artisans around the world, we were proud to be given permission by what is now our original family of family-owned artisan studios:  La Corona Talavera, Santa Rosa Mayolica and the Salazar family’s JB Diseno pewter foundry. 

We’ve since added Ruth Cortez-Hernandez, an extraordinary creator of hand-tooled Alpaca silver treasure, jewelry and trinket boxes, to the Rustica Gift gallery.  Now, we proudly welcome the ePalladio family studio of Crete, Greece and Teri's Handmade Soap Studio from Southern California.

TRADITION.  QUALITY.  HISTORY.  THE TALAVERA STORY

While we love variety and selection, it is the centuries-old tradition of authentic Mexican Talavera pottery that captivates us.  Its roots go back to the 15^th century, when the monks from Spain’s historic Talavera de la Reina region came to Mexico, and conscripted the local population to make their signature pottery to adorn their missions.  While the birth of Mexico’s Talavera pottery tradition began in inequity, Mexico’s artisans soon developed a signature style and mastery of the craft that, in our humble opinion, far outshone their un-welcomed visitors. 

Across Mexico, there is now a range of Talavera pottery and Majolica ceramics that suits a range of budgets and tastes, from Talavera planters, bowls, and animal figurines (think cats, frogs and the likes) to heirloom-quality pieces such as ours that grace some of the world’s finest museums and homes.

ARTISTRY, HANDCRAFT, AUTHENTICITY

Today, we are proud to showcase the award-winning, internationally-acknowledged work of these fine artisan studios. Thank you for your appreciation of the history, artisans and handcraft process we have curated for you.

SUPPORTING COMMUNITY.  HELPING CHILDREN

We also created a partnership with a local youth home, IPODERAC, that ensures the indigenous children will have an opportunity for success through education, skill-training, a safe place to live and the opportunity to feel like a family.

Rustica Gift & Pottery contributes a portion of proceeds to IPODERAC, so that we can support their not-for-profit mission of serving the area’s in-need youth through education, food and shelter,.  They have been providing safety, a sense of belonging and family to the community's youth for over 50 years.  Learn More.