Jaipur blue pottery is one of the city's most distinctive crafts — a tradition that has nothing to do with clay in the conventional sense. The pieces are made from a paste of quartz powder, ground glass, Fuller's earth, and borax, shaped and then painted with cobalt oxide (blue), copper oxide (turquoise), and manganese oxide (brown) before a single firing. The result is the particular translucent, brilliant glaze that distinguishes Jaipur blue pottery from anything else.
The craft's origins are disputed — it may have come from Persia via Mughal Delhi, or developed locally with Persian influence — but it became strongly associated with Jaipur from the 19th century. Tiles, bowls, vases, coasters, and decorative objects are all made in the same basic technique. Several workshops and museums in the Jawahar Nagar area demonstrate the process and sell directly.
The work of master potter Kripal Singh Shekhawat, who almost single-handedly revived the tradition in the 20th century after it nearly died out, is considered the benchmark. His family still runs a studio near the Shilpgram complex.