Originally Posted by
goaliemn
actually, you may run into a problem with customs and your clay pot. There was an article afew months ago about an importation ring using pots to sneak in drugs and other things, as the pots obscured their contents when put through an xray. Customs now takes a hard look at them and has been known to break them into pieces if they suspect something is inside of them/between the layers of them.
I had it happen to a friend who shipped some pots home from europe. They were in pieces along with a note from customs saying they weren't liable as they looked suspicious and had to be completely inspected.
I'm a little confused about where the OP is traveling. It appears that the OP is taking the pot home to Brazil from Europe? I doubt Brazilian customs will think the OP is importing drugs from Europe. OP, are you transiting through the US? If not, then TSA shouldn't be involved.
Definitely take the pot on-board if it at all possible, so it's not out of your sight. I would say that the OP needs to make sure that the pot is not wrapped (it can be in a box that is easily opened) and that s/he send it through the x-ray in its own tray. That way, the inspector, whomever it might be, can open it to check inside if they find it necessary. I don't think this will be a problem.