The Arts and Crafts movement was a reaction to the uniformity of mass produced goods, harking back to hand made goods and traditional materials. Copper and iron replaced brass, green (unseasoned) oak was used in construction and furniture making and stone mullions had a resurgence. This adds to the difficulty of recognising true period Arts & Crafts wares as hand made wares can look very similar whatever era they originate from. Normally the most accurate way to date something is by the engineering, the way it is put together, because the vast majority of manufacturers have always used the most efficient and modern techniques and technologies whatever the date. A funny thing is that Victorian tiles weren't that uniform, the technology hadn't progressed far enough and most were handpainted with variations from hand to hand. And tiles are a product that people want to be uniform.
Another theme of "Arts & Crafts" is that the artist and the craftsman were one person, the artist did not design and leave the execution to another but worked the item from start to completion. Arts and craftsmen clearly used tools and often machines too but the machine would be operated by and subordinate to a craftsman who could carry out the process without the machine if needed, i.e. he fully understood the process. Ideals which if correctly fulfilled would produce a better product more suited to it's task and the customers wishes. Better however comes at a much dearer price, and better is more than most people need, good enough usually works just fine.
William Morris, the undisputed leader of the Arts & Crafts movement, said in a lecture "The beauty of the handicrafts of the Middle Ages came from this, that the workman had control over his material, tools, and time." The essence of this was that the craftsman is important but to the consumer the opposite is true, the product, the end result, is what matters.