Two questions decide the inspection
Vases and decorative bowls are made in almost every material a décor supplier works with. What matters most for the inspection is not the material but two questions the buyer must answer first.
- Will the vase hold water? A vase for fresh flowers must not leak. A "dry" vase for dried stems or display does not need to, but then it should be sold that way. Metal vases with soldered or seamed bodies, wooden vases and some low-fired ceramics only hold water with a liner or an internal coating.
- Could someone put food in the bowl? A wide, shallow bowl looks like serveware even if it is sold as décor. In the US, ornamental ceramicware that appears suitable for food is presumed to be for food use unless it is marked or made unusable for food. Brass, enamelled and lacquered metal bowls raise the same question.
Once those answers are in the purchase order, the inspector can test the right things.
What we check on vases and bowls
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Water-tightness | Vase filled to the brim on dry paper and left for the time in the buyer's protocol | Drips at seams, the base joint or through the body; damp marks on the paper |
| Liner | Glass or metal liner removed and refitted; liner itself water-tested | Liner missing, wrong size, cracked or leaking |
| Stability | Tall vase stood on a flat table, empty and with water, and nudged | Tips easily; base not flat |
| Glass quality | Viewed against light; rim and base felt | Stones, deep seeds, cracks, sharp rim, base that rocks |
| Glaze | Inside and outside checked under light; tapped for dull sound | Crazing that lets water through, bare spots inside, hairline cracks |
| Metal finish | Compared with limit samples; inside checked for flux residue and bare metal | Lacquer gaps, tarnish, rust inside an iron vase |
| Food-use marking | Label and base marking checked against the approved artwork | Bowl that looks like serveware with no marking and no test report |
| Base protection | Felt pads or a ground, smooth base | Rough base that scratches furniture |
Common vase and decorative bowl defects and how they are classed
| Defect | Class |
|---|---|
| Sharp rim or crack in glass or ceramic | Critical |
| Required "not for food use" marking missing on a food-looking ceramic bowl | Critical or major, as the buyer sets |
| Leak in a vase sold for fresh flowers | Major |
| Tall vase tips over in the stability check | Major |
| Liner missing or does not fit | Major |
| Glaze bare spot or crazing inside | Major |
| Small seed in glass away from the rim; light tarnish spot | Minor |
Rules for decorative and food-looking pieces
- US: 21 CFR 109.16. Ornamental or decorative ceramicware that appears suitable for food use is presumed to be for food unless it carries a stick-on label on a visible surface and a permanent statement fired, moulded or painted on the base, such as "Not for Food Use. May Poison Food", in letters at least 3.2 mm high (1.6 mm if space is short). Boring a hole through the food-contact surface is the alternative. See lead and cadmium in ceramics.
- US: food contact. A bowl sold for food must meet FDA food-contact rules; lead in brass and in glazes is also a Prop 65 issue.
- EU: food contact. If a bowl is sold for food, Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 applies and buyers usually ask for a migration test. Decorative pieces fall under the GPSR.
- Wooden vases and bowls. Ornaments of wood (HS 4420) and wooden tableware (HS 4419) are both on the EUDR Annex I list. See EUDR.
Lead and cadmium are measured by an accredited lab, not at the factory. We pull and seal the samples through lab testing coordination.
Packing and transit risks
Vases break at the neck and rim; bowls at the rim. Each piece needs its own cell, with the neck supported, and glass liners packed separately from metal vases so they do not rattle inside them. Water used in the leak test must be fully dried out before packing, or iron vases rust and wooden ones grow mould in the container. A drop test on the master carton shows whether dividers hold. Heavy marble and brass pieces should never share a carton with glass.
What to put in your purchase order
- For each vase: water-holding or dry use, and the leak-test time.
- Liner material and size where one is supplied.
- For each bowl: food use or decorative only, and the marking or test reports that go with it.
- Stability check for vases above a height you set.
- Glass and glaze acceptance limits, with limit samples for hand-made variation.
Material pages: brass and copper, aluminium and marble and stone.