A clay that seals itself in the fire.
Our clay body carries no glaze at all, yet it does not drink, stain or hold odour, and it washes like any modern ceramic.
Something nowhere else in the country makes.
Almost all unglazed pottery is porous. It drinks, it stains, it holds the smell of what came before, which is why nearly every ceramic wears a glaze. Only a handful of places on earth have ever fired clay until it needs no glaze at all. Yixing has done it for five centuries, Bizen and Tokoname for eight. India, celebrated for its terracotta and for the glazed studio ware of its cities, had not been among them.
It is now, and it was made in Manipur: from clay dug here, by artisans from here, with nothing imported and no technique licensed from abroad.
Four years of development.
We developed this clay body over four years in a NECTAR-funded project. It is a proprietary body, dug and processed within Manipur.
It is fired until it vitrifies, which means the clay seals itself. No glaze, pigment or chemical flux is added. The clay body has also been tested at CSIR–CGCRI.
Three colours, one clay, no pigment.
Where a piece sits in the kiln decides its colour. Low on the shelf, near the flame, it is starved of air and its iron turns grey. Higher up, it keeps its oxygen and stays brown.
Pencil lead
Fully reduced. A dense pewter surface with a faint metallic sheen.
Part reduced
The midpoint. Warm grey drifting toward brown, uneven by design.
Chocolate
Fully oxidised. The iron keeps its oxygen and stays a deep copper brown.
Where Parables sits among the world's unglazed wares.
| Tradition | Seals in fire | Unglazed | Handmade | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common terracotta, India (mug) | No | Yes | Moulded | ₹100 – 300 |
| Longpi blackware, Ukhrul, Manipur (mug) | No | Yes | Yes | ₹825 – 950 |
| Studio stoneware, Indian cities (mug) | Yes | No | Yes | ₹400 – 800 |
| Zisha, Yixing, China (teapot) | Partly | Yes | Yes | ₹5,000 + |
| Yakishime, Bizen & Tokoname, Japan (teapot) | Yes | Yes | Yes | ₹8,000 + |
| Atelier Vierkant, Belgium (planter) | Yes | Yes | Yes | ₹70,000 + |
| Parables, Manipur (mug) | Yes | Yes | Yes | ₹850 – 950 |
Each row names the product its price refers to. A teapot costs more than a mug in every tradition, so the table shows where each one sits rather than a like-for-like price. Zisha is left deliberately porous so that it seasons with tea. Ours is not, and stays neutral to whatever it holds.
Ready to use, from the box.
- Ready to use
No soaking. No seasoning. This body does not drink.
- Hot and cold alike
It will not seep, soften, or hold an odour.
- Wash as any ceramic
Scouring will not harm the surface.
- Nothing added
The clay body has been tested at CSIR–CGCRI. No lead or cadmium added.
- Avoid sudden extremes
As with all fired clay.
- Variation is the fire
Tone differs between firings. It is not a fault.
Wholesale, gifting and bespoke orders.
Tell us what you need and we'll come back with quantities, lead times and pricing.
Contact
Nurakhudonglei Private Limited
Thoubal, Manipur 795138, India