Lost $80 on a 'traditional' tea set from a street vendor in Shanghai

I bought this fancy looking Yixing teapot from a guy near Yu Garden for $80, thinking I got a deal. Got it home and realized it's probably just painted clay, not real zisha, and it gives my tea a weird metallic taste. Anyone else get fooled by fake antiques in tourist spots?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan5451mo ago

Did you try boiling it to see if the paint comes off and turns your whole kitchen into a sad art project? Been there with a 'vintage' jade bracelet that was really just glowing green plastic.

anna7581mo ago

Oh COME ON, boiling is a perfectly reasonable test for legitimate vintage items! Some of us actually know what we're doing and have successfully stripped decades of grime off REAL jade using that method. The issue isn't the boiling, it's that you bought something from a booth that had "Made in China" stamped on the bottom in Sharpie and expected it to be authentic. I've boiled actual antique glass beads that came out looking brand new and increased their value by like 40 bucks. You just need to know your materials first instead of blaming the technique for your own bad luck.