What Mervyn Gers Ceramics is known for
Mervyn Gers and his team throw and glaze tableware by hand at a Salt River studio, supplying the plates and bowls used by restaurants across South Africa and abroad. The range mixes speckled clay bodies with dozens of glaze colours, each piece showing the small variations of hand production.
Mervyn Gers Ceramics is a Cape Town studio launched in 2011 that makes tableware by hand from raw clay to finished glaze under one roof. The studio developed its own clay body over five years with international ceramic specialists and the University of Cape Town. The body is formulated for the way its pieces are shaped and fired. Glazes are developed in house by adjusting minerals and oxides and the conditions of firing. Every recipe is refined until it gives the depth and movement the collections are known for. Each glaze answers the kiln in its own way, so no two pieces match exactly. The glazes are food safe and the finished ceramics are independently tested for strength and durability. Decorated collections begin as original artwork. Designs are silkscreen printed in house onto ceramic transfer paper colour by colour and applied by hand before a final firing bonds the design. Every piece is fettled to remove excess clay and smooth its seams, then bisque fired to strengthen the body. Pieces are stacked in the kiln by hand with attention to how heat will travel. The studio's tagline pairs function with soul and with style, and it states a commitment to local job creation. Mervyn Gers Ceramics sells online and shows the whole making process on its website, step by step.
Best for — Hand-thrown tableware in speckled clay bodies and dozens of glaze colors
Cape Town, South Africa
Where next
- Kernos Ceramiche — Italy
- Gema Muñoz Cerámica — Córdoba
- Juha Studio — Slovenia
Hand-curated for ORBIS · no paid placement