Each One Different...

salad plates in Roan Mountain pattern

Each piece of Iron Mountain stoneware is a little different--as demonstrated by this photo. Having created each piece of the stoneware by 'hand' means that it was handled by the individual employees who worked with the stoneware during each phase of the production process. The stoneware shapes were created, and in the case of three early patterns (if not the first three patterns made) they were also eventually hand dipped into glazes before being fired in a kiln. Each time the plates were dipped in the same color, they were rotated to increase the amount of glaze which darkened the color. The early geometric patterns were Blue Ridge (blue and darker blue/black), White Top (tan and cream) and Roan Mountain (brown/rust and gold). The glazes were mixed by 'hand' as well--which also means there was room for variations despite using a similar or even an exact recipe each time the glaze was created. These three salad plates in the Roan Mountain pattern exhibit widely different color patterns.