Handmade work is one material doing one thing, which makes its storage needs easy to predict once you name the material.
By material
Fired clay — chips at rims and handles. Store with nothing touching the rim and nothing stacked inside. Unglazed surfaces absorb moisture and stain.
Wood and lacquer — humidity swings crack, direct sun bleaches, and anything textured pressed against lacquer prints into it.
Metal — tarnish in damp air, worse near rubber and newsprint.
Textiles — folds weaken, insects find wool, and sealed plastic holds moisture against natural fibres.
Paper and papier-mâché — damp is the whole story.
What to do, in general
- Stable humidity, away from outside walls and direct sun
- Tissue between pieces, nothing stacked rim to rim
- Cotton for textiles rather than plastic
- Silica in a box during the monsoon, not touching the work
- Handle by the body, not by a handle or a projecting part
If you are the maker
Say in the listing how a piece should be kept and whether the finish will change with use. It is a line of text, it prevents a complaint, and it reads as somebody who knows their own work. Describing handmade work.
What it costs
Tissue, a cupboard away from the weather, and the habit of not stacking.
Questions people ask
Will a finish change with time?
Many do, and that is normal. Say so rather than letting a buyer discover it.
Can I wash a handmade piece?
Only by whatever the maker said. Some finishes do not survive water.
How do I store a large ceramic?
Low, stable, nothing on top, padding under the base.
More: selling handicrafts, common mistakes.