oakwoodceramics: Insurance

Ceramics and pottery can be functional, decorative or a mixture of both; but this article focuses on taking the correct precautions to care for valuable ceramics and pottery. The best way to protect valuable ceramics is limit exposure to the common damage factors associated with handling.
As collectable art, ceramics are less at risk than paintings, for example, as exposure to sunlight and strong artificial lighting is not usually problematic. The brittle nature of ceramics and pottery means that the most common forms of damage come from handling. This can be in transit, if the packaging is inadequate - and also if the form of storage during transport is unsuitable, as is often the case in the hold of an aircraft, for example.
Assuming that you have already managed to bring a few pieces home successfully, the placement of the objects within the home is key. Display cases offer the best protection, keeping the enquiring paws of both children and animals at bay. Mantelpieces and shelves are riskier homes for your valuables, as simple household chores like dusting can tumble books and other ornaments and lead to breakages. Try and ensure that valuable ceramics and pottery have a separate cleaning regime to the rest of the room - particularly if you do not have space in or for a display cabinet. This means removing the pieces as a first step in the regular cleaning of the room.
However, even the display case cannot prevent the occasional accidental slips that will occur as you show off or clean your pieces, so the bottom line in protection has to be an adequate insurance policy. Many of the home insurance policies offered by providers like Legal & General will cover household possessions with a fairly high individual value - you must of course ensure that you check the upper limit. While some pieces will be literally irreplaceable, at the very least you don't want to be out of pocket on the money invested. It is therefore just as important as having a home insurance policy to have an accurate idea of the current replacement value of the ceramic or pottery in question ; crucially, this will often be different to the amount that you originally paid for the piece - and hopefully, a lot more!