Callahan Ceramics: custom ring dish

In this age of consumerism at our fingertips, we are lucky to have most of our wants and needs procured at the touch of a button and delivered to our doorstep in under two days. It streamlines our errands and makes our lives convenient, but
as consumers, where our aesthetic fortunes truly lie is in the unprecedented access to countless artisans and crafters who reach us through social media streams and small business resources such as etsy.

One small pottery business that I’ve featured before here and here, is Callahan Ceramics in Colorado. I discovered Callahan Foose’s Instagram page last winter as he started experimenting with shapes and glazes while developing his signature style of two-dimensional clay landscape ‘scenes’, which thousands have fallen for over the year, myself included. Since last winter, his small studio has skyrocketed in growth, in followers and products, which makes me grateful that Callahan Ceramics opened up for custom pottery requests this past fall. The result: the sweetest lil’ jewelry dish you ever did see.

As badly as I wanted to order a custom for myself, Christmas was a’comin and I knew from the moment I saw one of Callahan’s ring dishes, it would be a special piece to have made as a present for my niece. As a family, ice cream’s kind of our thing, the official dessert of family gatherings. I chose the base color and flavor based on her favorites and added in mini festive sprinkles. The dish is 4 inches in diameter and measures almost 4 in. from base to tip of the cone. As a teen just getting into jewelry, her taste is personal; some sporty bracelets of her favorite team, a few mementos for her first Disney trip, and I wanted her ring holder to reflect her personality too. (That little brass arrow initial ring was also gifted from another favorite small shop, Little Green Room)

Callahan’s custom process involved applying for the item you wanted and providing a detailed description. If he was able to fulfill the request, he sent a purchase invoice via email. The dish $38, shipped for $8, arrived well-packed and well within the pre-holiday time frame. Unexpectedly, he even offered an inscription option. The marbleized swirly underside hides a secret handwritten touch, I love that. 

Perfect as a catchall for other treasures such as bracelet stacks, I hope the dish provides a bit of whimsy and charm to my niece’s bureau. I especially adore the realistic sugar waffle cone, set at my specified angle. Opening it for Christmas, I believe she genuinely liked it, but teenagers can be inscrutable sometimes. It warmed my heart to be able to share my admiration for handmade goods with my family, I’d love to own one myself. Callahan produces the ice cream cone splatters and other 3D ring dish concepts every so often, his UFO beams piece is pretty eye-catching too. Look out for upcoming pottery restocks and his new in-stock shop at Callahan Ceramics.com and follow him on Instagram for updates.

Do you have any special keepsakes or jewelry holders? What would your custom dish look like?