Zi sha Yixing black clay teapot 200ml

Unlike ordinary clay, which is soft, moist in texture, it is more like a stony hard rock and after various manipulations it becomes suitable for the manufacture of mannequins. 

That is why it cannot be used on the potter's wheel - only manual or final production (assembly and gluing of parts together) and casting.

 The clay is found in layers: the uppermost ones are soft, from which they produce everyday and cheap dishes, including teapots. 

The deeper, the more petrified the clay and the higher the quality of the resulting dishes and, consequently, the price.   There are different proportions for mixing these clays with each other, different additives (metal oxides, sand, calcined fragments, mica and pyrite), the technology uses different firing temperatures and the atmosphere in the furnace - all this creates a wide range of colors ( from yellow to black) and textures, making the finished teapots so different.