Basalt is a special type of ceramic invented by Josiah Wedgwood in the eighteenth century. It is a fine-grained, unglazed stoneware. Wedgwood used basalt for vases, figures, and candlesticks. Some pieces are listed in that section. The most common type is black, but many other colors were made. It was made by many factories. For more information, explore our identification guides for Wedgwood and other pottery and porcelain.