Product Liability for Glass Artists & Studios

Glass is beautiful and inherently fragile. When a piece you create breaks and injures a buyer — a glass vase that shatters on a tile floor, an art glass ornament that breaks in a child's hands — that's a product liability claim. Whether you sell in person or online, your finished art carries ongoing liability after it leaves your studio.

When Product Liability Applies

Glass art breaks and cuts a buyer
A structural defect causes failure
Decoration or color is toxic to children
Improper annealing causes delayed breakage
Art sold at galleries injures gallery visitors
Online-sold pieces cause injuries to buyers
Craft show and art fair product claims
Corporate gift glass pieces cause injuries

The Annealing Risk

Improper annealing is one of the most common causes of glass art breakage claims. Unannealed or poorly annealed glass develops internal stress that can cause spontaneous breakage hours, days, or weeks after leaving your studio. If that glass breaks and injures someone, you may be liable even if the piece appeared perfect when sold. Product liability covers this exposure.

Does product liability cover me for pieces sold years ago?

Product liability covers claims made during the policy period, regardless of when the piece was made. If a piece you sold two years ago breaks today and injures someone, a current product liability policy responds to that claim.

I sell on Etsy and at local shows. Am I covered in both situations?

Yes. Product liability covers your work regardless of where or how it was sold — gallery, show, Etsy, your own website, wholesale. The claim follows the product, not the sales channel.