"Using a silver teapot to boil water is a mark of nobility, and using a silver teapot to make tea is a symbol of elegance." In the diverse world of tea utensils, the silver teapot stands out with its unique charm. Compared with "the earthiness of sand, the brittleness of porcelain, and the rustiness of iron", the silver teapot is clean and odorless, just like a pure and flawless gentleman. It can not only purify the water quality but also fully enhance the aroma of the tea, making each cup of tea exude a unique charm. Today, Tongxin She Teahouse, with full sincerity, presents to all tea lovers a pure silver teapot carefully crafted by Hongji Treasures, a century-old teapot-making family, inviting you to appreciate this treasure of tea ware together.
The history of Hongji Treasures can be traced back to the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty and has been passed down for five generations, still shining brightly today. It is not only a supporting and inheriting workshop for the national intangible cultural heritage project - Heqing Silver Ornament Forging Technique but also a rare silver workshop that has continued from the Qing Dynasty to the present without interruption. The first-generation inheritor of the Hong family, Hong Shanyu, was spotted by a silversmith master when he was young and stepped into the path of a silversmith. With his extraordinary talent, he had already become an outstanding figure in the workshop during his youth. He also obtained the precious formula for the "aging" treatment of silver teapots and passed it down from generation to generation. In the tide of the times, the Hong family has always adhered to their original aspiration, inheriting the traditional silver teapot making technique. Each silver teapot embodies the century-old ingenuity and love of the family.
The pure silver teapot launched this time was crafted by Master Hong Jike, who has brought the "one-piece forging" technique to the extreme. The whole teapot is formed with the classic hammered pattern, and the entire body is covered with delicate hammer marks. The smooth and elegant surface of the teapot is matched with a unique shape, simple yet grand. However, behind this seemingly simple appearance are thousands of hammering strokes and nearly 20 days of painstaking carving. Every hammering is a dialogue between the craftsman and the teapot; every hammer mark is an imprint of time and technique.
The birth of a silver teapot goes through nearly a hundred processes, including material selection, pressing the silver plate, cutting the silver plate, shaping the teapot body, making the spout, repairing the teapot base, engraving, polishing, etc. During the production process, the tempering link is crucial. It ensures that the silver teapot has a balanced weight and consistent hammer marks. Any negligence in any link may affect the final quality. Take pressing the silver plate as an example. The thickness and purity of the silver plate directly determine the quality of the silver teapot. The silver plate of this precious silver teapot is strictly controlled to be 1-1.2mm thick. Although it increases the cost and production difficulty, it can perfectly adapt to various processes, making the teapot body more plump and solid. After the initial shape is formed, the craftsman needs to tap the teapot body repeatedly with a smooth small hammer. Hammering continuously when the teapot is annealed and not cooled down yet, and using hammers of different models to forge hundreds of thousands of times, can the round and beautiful shape of the teapot be created. This requires not only superb skills but also full patience and a unique aesthetic vision. And the process of hammering the teapot body is a severe test of the craftsman's technical skills. The control of the force and rhythm, and the grasp of the uniformity and balance of the teapot body's shaping are all completed in the sound of "ding-dong". A slight carelessness may lead to failure.
This pure silver teapot weighs 300g and has a capacity of 500ml, which is a perfect combination of practicality and art. When you fall in love with quality, it's hard to be attracted to cheap things anymore; when you get used to refinement, compromise becomes unbearable. This silver teapot is precious because of the person who uses it, and the person becomes elegant because of the teapot. May it accompany you and let quality and refinement always be by your side.
It is worth mentioning that the silver teapot may turn black after long-term use, which is precisely a sign of its high purity and does not affect normal use. You just need to gently wipe it with toothpaste and a cotton cloth (never use a hard loofah cloth), or clean it with a silver polishing cloth or silver cleaner to restore its cleanliness. During the maintenance process, don't be hasty. Avoid using polishing cloths or other materials with fine emery particles to wipe it, so as not to scratch the teapot body and damage its unique texture.
In Tongxin She Teahouse, this pure silver teapot from Hongji Treasures of a century-old brand is waiting quietly for its bosom friend. It is not only a utensil for boiling water and making tea but also a work of art carrying a century of ingenuity and cultural heritage. It is looking forward to starting a tea journey full of tea fragrance and extraordinary quality with you.