Materials for Design

Stoneware

The first examples of stoneware date back to China’s Shang Dynasty, two millennia BCE. The name stoneware does a superb job of suggesting the qualities of this gritty ceramic. Like porcelain and bone china, stoneware is non-porous, hard and water resistant. However, unlike earthenware, stoneware – like bone china and porcelain – is a vitreous ceramic, which means it contains glass; this results in a product that is suitable for holding liquids without the need for glazing, although products such as tableware and decorative objects are often glazed to give an attractive finish. Stoneware is more chip-resistant than earthenware, and more opaque than porcelain. It is usually grey or brown in colour due to impurities in the clay. The British ...