Confetti on Clay: The Glaze I Keep Coming Back To

Speckled surfaces, Italian sweets, and a glaze that brings pieces to life

There’s a lightness to this glaze that keeps pulling me back. A brightness that breaks across the surface, not flat or uniform, but scattered—colored specks caught in motion. It’s cheerful, but not childish. Decorative, but not precious.

My confetti glaze began as an experiment, adapted from a method I first read about on the Old Forge Ceramics blog. It’s not a single glaze, but a combination: I fire tiny chips of colored glaze—sintered particles—until they’re no longer water-soluble, then blend them into a base glaze. Most often it’s clear and glossy, but I sometimes use colored or matte versions depending on the piece. During the final glaze firing, the speckles remain intact, settling gently across the porcelain surface.

The name confetti is a little misleading. In Italian, what we call confetti are sugar-coated almonds—white for weddings, blue or pink for births, often tied into netting with tiny bows. The most famous are made in Sulmona, in Abruzzo, not far from where one of my grandfathers was born. Technically, the colorful paper bits thrown at parties are coriandoli—but to me, the word confetti still feels right. It suggests something festive, something meant for joy.

I use this speckled glaze only on my utility ware—small pitchers, cupcake stands, and espresso cups. Occasionally I adjust the speckle palette to echo other design elements: green and purple with a sage-colored handle, or soft pink, azure, and pale green when a piece calls for something gentler. The effect changes depending on the form—more concentrated on curves, more scattered on flat surfaces.

I return to this glaze often. Not only because I like the way it looks, but because of what it adds to the work: a little movement, a little unpredictability. It reminds me not everything has to be controlled. Sometimes, beauty settles in the margins—where one color meets another, or where a speckle lands just so.

You can find the confetti glaze throughout my shop, especially in the cupcake stands, small pitchers, and espresso cups.