Oh joy! Oh rapture! My first ceramic toy!
This is the Signature, a very shiny ceramic dildo made by Duncan Charles Designs. Duncan Charles is a small (yet wonderfully generous!) operation based in Texas. They make their toys out of “refined Texas clay,” which means the clay “has no impurities or additives that are imported from other destinations.” Thank goodness! Wouldn’t want any of those Arkansas impurities…
The Signature’s packaging puzzles me, though. It comes in a large square shoebox-like box, taped shut. Inside, there is a layer of foam, a slip of paper with care instructions, a storage pouch, and the toy, lying diagonally in a valley of satin-covered foam. First of all, the box could be half the size and the dildo would fit fine. Secondly, something… smells. The foam smells funky and the box smells like thick perfume. The dildo came to me with a slight foam smell attached to it. I am opposed to this. Even my cats noticed these smells, so I promise I am not insane.
But moving on from my nose… the Signature is 8″ long and 1.5″ in diameter. It’s non-porous, sterilizable, and sealed with food grade glaze. Its highly ridged shape reminds me of a few toys I’ve tried in the past — the silicone Soft Serve, the glass Cobalt Twister, and especially the aluminum Dai-Do #4. I am a texture slut, and I’m not ashamed!
The Signature’s ceramic looks/feels like your standard glazed coffee mug. The glaze makes this dildo super smooth and slick, much like glass. A little lube (of any kind!) goes a long way. The ridges, however, are very intense, even for me. They’re just so abundant! Thrusting is too overwhelming most of the time, and can feel too much like being fucked by a large screw. I prefer to slide it in and jiggle it instead. I also love the hard ceramic for clenching my PC muscles around. I’m not sure if the ridges make this more pleasurable, but it feels good.
The Signature’s ridges also pull my NuvaRing out, every time, without fail. I’m used to this happening occasionally with certain toys, but the Signature is especially, um, skilled at it.
I was actually expecting ceramic to feel more unique. I’ve heard that there is a palpable — but hard to describe — difference between it and other materials. To my dismay, perhaps because of the glaze, the material didn’t feel like anything new. It’s very similar to glass and aluminum (especially the shiny aluminum in the Dai-Do line). The only really noticeable difference is in weight; ceramic is lighter than both those materials. This is a bit of a downside, to me, since I enjoy weightiness in hard toys.1
The Signature is not the easiest to clean; toothbrushes need to be involved. It comes with a black and gray checkered pouch for storage. I like the look of the pouch, but it’s a bit difficult to wrestle the toy into, especially since it closes with a flap rather than a drawstring.
The Signature is priced around $60, which is definitely reasonable considering its material and its handmade nature. But it’s probably not a dildo that will skyrocket to the top of your favorites list, and it’s not at the top of mine. I don’t love it, but I see nothing wrong with it. It’s a dildo for certain texture-craving times only; worth keeping around for those times, but not a must-have.
