Handmade and meticulously painted by hand, this ceramic mug provides a delightful boost to your mood, as it transforms your daily coffee and tea routines. We designed this mug to mix up what we normally see in tableware—we wanted something that looks misleadingly simple and relaxing to the eye, but with groovy colors and off-beat stripes that give your mind something to nibble on. To realize our vision, we found the most talented group of women, at Niana Art Studio in Yerevan, Armenia, to breathe life into our designs and bring this ceramic mug into your very own hands. Each mug looks simultaneously vintage and modern, as a nod to our past and a tribute to our collective future. We're neither one or the other; we're all things. Yet another collaboration between the diaspora and mother Armenia, brought to you by QAMI JAN.

THE DETAILS

• 3.5 in. base (5 in with handle) x 3.5 in. tall

• 340 grams (about 12 ounces!) - perfect for a latte or cup of urtz

• Our natural stoneware ceramics are conveniently dishwasher safe

• Made using food-grade pigments and lead-free glaze

• Handmade and hand-painted: Each mug will reflect variations of its individual maker and her personality, and while no two are the same, they come together beautifully in sets to complement and enhance each other

• Designed by QAMI JAN

• Made in Armenia by Niana Art Studio, founded by Anahit Nikoghosyan

THE BACKSTORY

The shores of the Caspian Sea were once home to a thriving and industrious Armenian community, their presence marked as early as the 5th century by, of course, a church with two pointed domes. The Armenians tell stories of the Caspian's clarity—that you could read a newspaper through the water without any difficulty. QAMI JAN's founder is rumored to have caught a golden fish with her bare hands, as a six-month old, seated among the soft waves. This was all, of course, before newcomers uprooted the Armenian community and polluted the sea with their craving for oil extraction, as they overfished the ossetra sturgeons to satisfy their need for caviar diplomacy (to, in part, cover up the ecological and humanitarian disasters they've caused). We wish for better days for the Caspian Sea. May this mug be an ode to its brighter future.