Your Mug Chipped Because You Stacked It While Wet

Short answer: 90% of chipped handmade mugs are caused by stacking cups inside each other — the thin rim edge snaps under pressure. Store handmade ceramics side by side, hand wash with a soft sponge, and avoid metal stirrers. HandMyth’s ceramic pieces are fired at 1,300°C for maximum durability, and every order includes a specific care guide for that piece.

The morning it happened was unremarkable. I was rinsing my favorite mug — a chunky stoneware piece from a potter in Jingdezhen, the kind with a rice-white glaze that pools darker in the carved grooves — when it slipped from my soapy hand and hit the edge of the sink. The sound was brief and terrible: a single sharp clink, not a full crash. I pulled the mug out and found a crescent-shaped chip missing from the rim, about the size of a fingernail clipping. The broken shard had disappeared down the drain.

For a few days, I kept the mug on my desk as a paperweight. Throwing it away felt wasteful. Drinking from a chipped rim felt wrong — that sharp edge against your lip, a tiny reminder of clumsiness every time you take a sip. I checked online for replacement mugs from the same potter, but her shop was between batches. So I sat with the broken mug and thought about what to do with it.

That is when I fell down the rabbit hole of ceramic repair traditions, and specifically the Chinese folk craft of ju ci (锔瓷) — literally “staple porcelain.” Long before the Japanese art of kintsugi became popular on Instagram, Chinese artisans were drilling tiny holes on either side of a crack and fastening metal staples across the break. The result is functional, waterproof, and surprisingly elegant: a row of brass or iron staples marching across the fracture like a scar you choose to keep visible.

The history runs deep. Ju ci dates back at least to the Song Dynasty (960–1279), though some archaeological evidence suggests it may be older. The famous Qingming scroll painting shows a traveling repairman with his tool kit, and the old Chinese saying “without a diamond drill, don’t take on porcelain work” comes directly from this trade. Because porcelain is harder than steel, traditional ju ci craftsmen used diamond-tipped hand drills — a technology that was remarkably advanced for its time. Matteo Ricci, the 16th-century Italian missionary, wrote home in amazement about Chinese artisans who could repair a broken bowl so well it held hot tea without leaking.

But you do not need a diamond drill or a master’s apprenticeship to fix a chipped mug. Modern materials make it accessible. Here is what actually works.

For a Small Chip (Like the One I Had)

If the broken piece is gone and you are just dealing with a missing chunk at the rim, the simplest approach is a food-safe epoxy putty. Brands like Sugru or Milliput are easy to work with — you knead them like clay, press them into the missing area, and shape them to match the original contour. Wait 24 hours for a full cure, then sand gently with fine-grit paper (400 to 600 grit, wet) to smooth the transition. The repair will be visible if you look closely, but it will be smooth against your lip and fully waterproof.

For a Crack (Not a Missing Piece)

A hairline crack needs a different approach. Clean and dry the area thoroughly, then use a thin cyanoacrylate (superglue) that wicks into the crack by capillary action. Hold the mug firmly so the crack is closed tight, apply the glue along the line, and let it soak in. Wipe away excess immediately with acetone on a cotton swab. The result is nearly invisible. Not all superglues are food-safe — look for one explicitly labeled for ceramic repair, and never let it touch the interior surface above the liquid line.

The Kintsugi Route (For When You Want It to Look Repaired)

This is the approach that turns a flaw into a feature. Modern kintsugi kits are widely available and use food-safe epoxy instead of traditional urushi lacquer (which can take weeks to cure and sometimes causes allergic reactions). The process is straightforward: fill the chip or crack with epoxy, let it partially set, then dust gold mica powder into the surface. Once fully cured, seal with a clear topcoat. The gold line becomes part of the mug’s story. Every time you drink from it, you are reminded that broken things can still be beautiful — and functional.

What Not to Do

Do not use regular craft glue, hot glue, or silicone sealant. None of these are food-safe, and they will not hold up to hot liquids or dishwasher heat. Speaking of dishwashers — any repaired mug should be hand-washed from then on. The thermal expansion in a dishwasher cycle will stress the repair and eventually pop it loose.

And do not sand a chipped rim on a mug you plan to keep using. I have seen tutorials that suggest sanding down the entire rim to make it even again, but this removes the glaze and leaves raw, porous ceramic exposed. Liquid will soak into that unglazed edge, and over time, bacteria will follow. The chip is safer left alone and filled, than ground down.

The Deeper Reason to Repair

The Chinese folk philosophy behind ju ci is called xi wu bao fu (惜物保福) — “cherish the object, preserve the blessing.” In an older China, where a single ceramic bowl might be a family’s most valuable possession, you did not throw things away. You mended them. You kept them in use. Each staple told a story of scarcity and resourcefulness.

I ended up fixing my Jingdezhen mug with a small kintsugi kit. The chip is now a gold-filled crescent at the rim, catching the light whenever I pour tea. It is not invisible. But honestly, I like it more now than before it broke. The mug has a memory. And every morning, when I wrap my hands around its warm body, that gold seam reminds me: breakage is not the end of the story.

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