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Notes From Our Designer...

I have been a ceramic designer for 20 years, firstly with my own factory in Johannesburg, producing terracotta and majolica Italian influenced ceramics. 

I moved to Cape Town to put more energy into ceramic design, rather than designing and running production. The next move was to go to China to access the high quality materials and skilled labour available there. I found myself in the town of Dehua, high up in the mountains of Fujian, in the southeast countryside of China. 

In Dehua I discovered that the village had an abundance of porcelain factories and studios producing the most beautiful sculptural porcelain figurines and dinnerware. I was in paradise as I am passionate about clay. 

In 2004 on a trip to Zanzibar I discovered huge sea urchin shells washed up on the beach. I took one home and put it over a lit candle and the urchin just glowed and looked so beautiful. Right then I knew where I was going with the porcelain in Dehua and immediately set off there again. 

In my hotel room there was a magazine featuring prominent sculptors in Dehua and it featured two brothers, Lee and Larry Jiazhan, who had a small factory producing cultural Buddha and other porcelain figurines. My translator called them up and we went to see them along with my sea urchins and a few other shells that I wanted to reproduce in porcelain - and so began Luna del Mar!

Over the past 4 years the Luna brand has grown from strength to strength, selling in the USA, England, Spain, France and the islands of Reunion and Mauritius. We also produce other porcelain items inspired by nature, and I visit the factory 3-4 times a year, working on new designs. I have lunch and dinner with the owners of the factory (and their wives and children) when I am there and have got to know them all both personally and professionally. 

I am extremely fond of my "porcelain family" and their business and we enjoy working together. They are honest, diligent, very good people. It is an enriching experience working with such talent as I have discovered in Dehua.