Ken Edwards was born in the U.S.A. He was educated in the Arts in Kansas City, Mo. He also studied his art in Japan. You will see the Asian influences in his "Collection" series. In the 1960's Ken Edwards migrated to the crafts villiage of Tonala, in Central Mexico. It was here that he founded the company known today as Ken Edwards Stoneware. Mr. Edwards has been creating his fine quality stoneware ever since. This LEAD FREE, high temperature stoneware is microwave safe, freezer safe, oven safe, dishwasher safe, and a pleasure to use at the dining table. Each piece is hand glazed by an apprentice of Mr. Edwards, always working by an open window, and always in natural light. Each artist paints a piece of the regular Ken Edward's line, and then a piece of the more intricate "Collection" series. A piece of the "Collection" series takes approximately three times the time to paint, as the regular series does. It is strictly forbidden to paint more than one piece of the "Collection" series in a row. Most pieces are signed with a KE for Ken Edwards and usually by another signature, an animal, fish, or insect. Scorpion, Swan, Bird, Snail, Spider, Crane, Swallow, Fish, and Mouse are all signatures of the talented artists at Ken Edward's shop. Every piece of Ken Edwards is different. It is impossible to obtain a set of exact copies. The beauty of a set of Dinnerware from Ken Edwards is that each plate, each cup, each bowl is different.