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In a small village on the banks of the Magdalena River in central Colombia, live entire families of talented artisans that make the Black 
Clay Pottery we sell, like their ancestors have done for 700 years. We are fortunate to frequent this land that seemingly time forgot and witness firsthand the daily life of the inhabitants whose lives revolve around the ceramics they produce. The personal relationships we have developed allow us to produce several exclusive designs only available through us.
The process of making Black Clay Pottery has remained virtually unchanged since before the Spanish conquest. Still today, there are no mechanical wheels with each pieces being made entirely by hand. It is a laborious process of molding, polishing, and firing. There have been some modernized such as gas furnaces rather than wood burning ovens, but in general they are the same.
The entire community is dedicated to the production of these ceramics, and how the community sustains itself. Rather than an artisan completing and entire piece, families or individuals specialize in certain steps of the process making it a community effort. After each step, the pieces are then transported often by burros or motor bikes to other families or individuals who complete other steps and so on until the pieces are completely done and packaged.
Three different types of clays from local mines are used in the making of these ceramics. 
They are dissolved in water and strained to remove little stones and other impurities. The interior of the ceramics are made with a mixture of a smooth grey clay that gives the piece its strength and body, and a sandy grey clay that makes it easier to mold. The exterior is then “glazed” with a watery red clay which gives the piece a smooth surface, and allows for the polishing.
The process begins by the flattening a ball of clay and forming it around a mold specifically made for each model. This “shell” is then smoothed and trimmed using tools fashioned from bamboo and plastic pieces. The pieces are then left to air dry, receiving a light polishing during the drying to make sure they have a smooth surface and are free of sand. The pieces are then transported to other artisans that specialize in adding rims and/or handles. 
The handing off progression continues with other artisans which specialize in the production of the lids, which are custom made for each piece. Even the knobs on the lids are made by artisans who specialize in only adding knobs to lids.
The delay in production is sometimes caused by rain which prevents the drying of the pieces. During our last visit, it was amazing to see the entire community running to cover all the ceramics that were outside in various production stages and drying when it began to rain.
Once dry and lightly polished, the pieces are then taken to artisans that glaze each piece with the watery red clay. The glaze is not let to dry completely to allow for the next step of polishing, which is probably the most laborious part of the process. 
The hand polished, a process known as burnishing, is done by rubbing the entire piece with semiprecious stones until it has a uniform brightness on the surface. Depending on the size of a piece, the polishing can take up to half an hour to an hour. Originally, this polishing was done with smooth river rocks from the bottom of the Magdalena River, but is now done with agate stones brought from Brazil which are stronger.
After the pieces are polished and fully dry, they are taken to be fired in custom made gas kilns. Originally the kilns were wood burning conically shaped ovens made by the artisans with bamboo covered with clay. Today the gas kilns make the process easier and faster.
To start the firing process, the pieces are placed in metal oil drums, with smaller objects going in larger earthenware pieces first. These oil drums are then placed over the furnace’s fire rings and the insulated walls of the kiln are rolled over the drums. The firing process takes approximately three hours, with the furnace reaching approximately 750°C. There is so much heat in room where the firing occurs that is was hard for us to hold the camera as it too got hot. This high heat, together with the glazing and burnishing process, result in utilitarian pieces strong enough to withstand rough treatments and make them ovenproof.
After the firing comes probably the most interesting part of the entire process. The insulated walls of the kiln are rolled away, and processed vegetable materials in the form of saw dust, rice husks, or other materials are added to the oil drums where the pieces are still red from the heat. The material immediately catches fires and begins to smoke. The drums are then covered, extinguishing the flames, while the material continues to smoke vigorously. The smoke penetrates the pieces giving each piece the black color that so characterizes products from La Chamba.
The entire village and artisans are extremely proud of their products, as we are bringing them to you.
PLACING AN ORDER ❯
CHECKING OUT ❯
PHONE ORDERS ❯
PAYMENT OPTIONS ❯
CHANGING AN ORDER ❯
ORDER STATUS ❯
ORDER PROCESSING TIME ❯
OUT-OF-STOCK ITEMS ❯
COUPON CODE ❯
SATISFACTION GUARANTEE ❯
RETURN & EXCHANGES ❯
SHIPPING GUARANTEE ❯
SALES TAXES ❯
PLACING AN ORDER
To place an order we us, all you have to do is:
- After shopping through our catalog,
- Select the products you would like, select the quantity of the item you want by clicking on the plus or minus sign next to the products and click the 'ADD TO CART' button.
- The shopping cart icon on the upper right had side will be updated with the items order. To continue shopping, simply keep going through our selection of products, and following the same process as above.
- To review the content of your shopping cart, simply hover your mouse over the “Your Cart” icon in the upper right hand corner of the site, from there you can see the content without actually going to the shopping cart and can easily change the quantity of items in the shopping cart or remove an item. From here, you can also go to the shopping cart, or proceed with the checkout process.
CHECKING OUT
You have two options to check out. The first one is to create an account. The advantage of creating an account is that you will be able to log back into your account and find out the status of your order, look up your order history, and make future check outs a lot easier. Of course if you don’t want to create an account, your second option is checking out as a guest.
To check out using an account:
If you have previously created an account:
- Hover your mouse over the “Your Cart” icon in the upper right hand corner of the site and click the “go to cart” button,
- Enter your user name and password and click the 'submit' button,
- Verify your billing and shipping information, verify the items you are purchasing,
- Enter any coupons if you have any,
- Check the “AGREE WITH TERMS” box, and
- Click on “CHECK OUT NOW” button.
If you have not previously created an account:
- Hover your mouse over the “Your Cart” icon in the upper right hand corner of the site and click the “go to cart” button,
- Create an account by pressing the “ADD/EDIT BILLING ADDRESS” button,
- Enter user name and password and click the 'submit' button,
- Then enter your billing and shipping information,
- Enter any coupons if you have any,
- Check the “AGREE WITH TERMS” box, and
- Click on “CHECK OUT NOW” button.
From there, you will need to choose your payment option and finish the transaction by clicking “BUY NOW” you will be asked to enter your payment details.
To check out as a guest:
- Hover your mouse over the “Your Cart” icon in the upper right hand corner of the site and click the “go to cart” button,
- Select the “CHECK OUT AS GUEST” button,
- Enter your billing and shipping information,
- Enter any coupons if you have any,
- Check the “AGREE WITH TERMS” box, and
- Click on “CHECK OUT NOW” button.
From there, you will need to choose your payment option and finish the transaction by clicking “BUY NOW” you will be asked to enter your payment details.
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PHONE ORDERS
If you don't feel comfortable ordering products online, simply call our Customer Service Department at (855) 586-0070 during our customer service hours and we will gladly accept your order. We will send you an e-mailed confirmation for your information and tracking.
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PAYMENT OPTIONS
On our site can pay by Paypal, Visa, MasterCard, American Express. To ensure data security, we use PayPal to process and accept payments for purchases and therefore do not store any credit card information on our site. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for more information.
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CHANGING AN ORDER
If you haven't submitted your order yet, you can change your order either by hovering over the Cart Icon at the top right of the website and make you changes there, or opening your cart and add or delete items in your Cart.
If you have already submitted your order, you cannot change it online. To make changes or cancel, please contact Customer Service via e-mail or call (855) 586-0070, Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. Be sure to have your order number handy.
You can also contact Customer Service via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. including you order number and the changes you need done. Please include the name of the item that you would like to change or cancel and if possible the SKU number to ensure accuracy.
Please note, if your order has already been processed and shipped, you may not be able to cancel or modify it.
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ORDER STATUS
Check the status of any of your orders by logging in to your account and checking the status of your order. This is the easiest and fastest way to get the most current information regarding your order. Alternatively, you can contact our Customer Service Department via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling (855) 586-0070.
To check the status online, once you have entered into your account, you can click on check status of order and an order summary page will provide you with detailed information about your current or past orders. If your order has not been processed you may modify or cancel your order from this page.
If your order has been shipped, you may track it using links provided in your order detail. It may take up to one (1) business day for your information to be posted on the FedEx website.
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ORDER PROCESSING TIME
All Online orders are normally processed and shipped out within 1-2 business days.
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OUT-OF-STOCK ITEMS
We make every effort to keep all the items in stock plus have in place a system that avoids purchasing items that become out of stock. However, if a product ordered is out of stock, we will reach out to you and give you the chance to change or cancel your order, or wait until the items are back in stock. If you choose to cancel, you will be refunded in full.
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COUPON CODE
To use Coupon Codes which you have been previously given, enter it into the “Enter your Coupon code” field during the check-out process. You must click “Apply” in order for the discount to be applied to your order. Make sure to enter the code exactly as previously submitted to you.
The total discount amount will be displayed on the Order Summary page. If the code is invalid or expired, no discount will be applied to the order total.
The following terms apply to all discounts associated with promotions and coupon codes on our Web Site unless otherwise specified:
- Discounts cannot be combined with other promotional offers.
- Discounts cannot be redeemed for cash, applied to past purchases, used as payment on an account, or used to purchase gift cards.
- Ancient Cookware is not responsible for lost or stolen coupons/coupon codes.
- Usage is subject to credit approval.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
Shop from home with the comfort of knowing that your orders are backed by a 100% Money Back Guarantee. This 30-Day Guarantee gives you plenty of time to inspect the item and if you need to return or exchange the item, just contact our Customer Service department and we will gladly accept the return or exchange.
RETURN & EXCHANGES
If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, please return the item for an exchange, refund or merchandise credit using the following guidelines:
- Return item within 30 days of receipt
- In original packaging or equivalent packaging to ensure the safe return without damage to the product
- The product must be in new, unused condition. Used items will not be accepted.
- With original purchase receipt or order number.
- Shipping charges are non-refundable.
- Refunds are made in the form of the original tender. For credit card purchases, it may take up to 2 billing cycles for refund credit to appear on your statement.
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SHIPPING GUARANTEE
If the item breaks during shipping, we will gladly exchange the item for another one, and we will ship the new item for free.
SALES TAXES
Orders placed in the state of Florida are subject to the 7% Florida sales tax.
