What are the opening hours?

Monday 08:30 - 17:00 Tuesday 08:30 - 17:00 Wednesday 08:30 - 17:00 Thursday 08:30 - 17:00 Friday 08:30 - 17:00 Saturday 08:30 - 14:00

Wonki Ware

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South Africa
George
Wonki Ware

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Di Marshall Pottery: South African Dinnerware and Table Accessories now sold in the USA Les, Artwel and I became a formidable pottery team. Love Di Marshall

I live in a small town called George along the Garden Route in South Africa. I started a small studio in the town centre about 10 years ago purely to keep myself occupied while my children where at school. We lived on a farm at the time and had to travel quite a distance everyday so I thought it would be good idea to work in my pottery studio in the morning, collect my children and go back to the farm in the afternoon. I happily started working and slowly attracted the attention of the local community. Before long my little studio became a meeting place for other potters and people that enjoyed being creative. About the same time a young Xhosa man named Artwel started arriving every morning looking for work. I did not have much money at this stage to pay him, but he was willing to do anything, so I started teaching him about clay. I devised a method of making pottery that Artwel could duplicate from my shapes that I had originally created. To our delight he started producing very sensitively worked platters and bowls. I began developing patterns that were relatively easy and simple to reproduce but at the same capturing a sensitivity in pattern and design. Another person that became invaluable to our team walked into the studio one day and painted a plate and I knew I had to have her join our team. Our energy and enthusiasm had people from all over the country popping into buy our pottery. The word had spread from Cape Town to Johannesburg and before long we had orders that we could not keep up with. At about this time Janice joined our team and became our first agent and before long we had our pottery showcased in some on the most prestigious stores in South Africa. We have been in operation for about 10 years and are presently employing 40 people from disadvantaged backgrounds. They are all now skilled employers and are valuable, contributing members in their communities. Our skilled potters are now training new comers in the art of making Wonki Ware and I feel confident that this is being achieved successfully. It is with pleasure and pride that I feel I can hand over this side of the business to my employees. Wonki Ware is a product that got developed purely by chance. It was born from a collective energy of 3 people whose excitement and enthusiasm were boundless. It still amazes me today what we unintentionally created. The vibrant, warm spirit of Africa is clearly visible in our pottery and I thank our potters and South Africans for their enthusiasm and love for what we do.

31/10/2026

Some dishes are made for special occasions, and some are made for the meals your family asks for every week. This one is made to be filled with the family’s favourites, and then passed around the table until it is empty.

29/10/2026

Slow work is the only kind we trust, and you can feel it in every piece.

25/10/2026

A stack of Wonki Ware never sits in a perfectly straight line, and each rim has its own colour and its own small wobble. For us, that is where the joy is.

23/10/2026

This intricate pattern is one of our signature looks, and it begins with a piece of real lace, pressed into soft local clay so that every thread leaves its mark. Each pattern is different from the last, it gives every plate and bowl a quiet, luxurious detail. Start with a single piece or build a whole table over time, and each addition will sit happily beside the last.

16/10/2026

We have been making ceramics for thirty-four years, and we have never found a faster way to do it well.

Our collection is crafted with the care that your morning coffee and your family table deserve.

13/10/2026

The Green Vine Vase carries a trailing vine around its body, and no two vases are ever quite the same. Each one is shaped from local clay, dried in the sun and glazed by hand, so the green deepens and shifts wherever the glaze pools.

Fill it with a loose bunch of garden flowers or leave it empty on a shelf, and it will still bring a little of the garden indoors.

03/05/2024

12/08/2023

https://youtu.be/aHqG4cH80TQ

17/03/2023

On their way to Borschendal Cape Town 🇿🇦

02/03/2023

Scrumptious

Address

42 York Street
George
6529

Opening Hours

Monday	08:30 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:30 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:30 - 17:00
Thursday	08:30 - 17:00
Friday	08:30 - 17:00
Saturday	08:30 - 14:00

Website

http://www.wonkiware.co.za/

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