Fired at 1,100–1,300 °C until vitrified to under 1% water absorption, stoneware is hard enough to resist scratching by a steel point but differs from porcelain in being opaque.
Early stoneware bangles were produced in the Mature Indus Valley Civilization (2600–1900 BCE) and large-scale glazed and unglazed stonewares (such as Jian, Longquan celadon, and Yixing wares) flourished in China from the Han dynasty onward.
Fully vitrified Rhenish stoneware emerged in Germany by 1325 with salt-glazing perfected in the late 15th century, followed in 18th-century England by Josiah Wedgwood's unglazed jasperware and cane ware.