Artesa began manufacturing over thirty years ago in the ceramics capital of Cuenca, Ecuador. Using the highest quality materials and a high motivated and efficient workforce in a new state of the art facility, Artesa is able to craft world-class products of excellent quality, high durability, and exquisite, unique design for the world market.

High firing temperatures make Artesa's products more similar to stoneware in durability and weight than to traditional earthenware that is light and prone to chipping. The composition of the clay, the same as used by the Inca to melt gold for El Dorado*, allows it to withstand firing temperatures of over 2000( Fahrenheit. This high firing makes for a hard and more durable product than similar pieces from Europe fired at lower temperatures. And, Artesa's dinnerware is dishwasher and microwave safe!

To ensure the pieces are lead and cadmium free, colors are imported from the US and Artesa's skilled craftspeople decorate each piece by hand using a traditional patented process, with fine attention to detail and design. This process gives the ceramics the beautiful handcrafted, unusual sculptured texture, making Artesa's products unique and prized by consumers throughout the world. Artesa pieces are art!

*The Incas of South America are famous for their gold. They mined extensive deposits of gold and silver, but this wealth ultimately brought disaster in the 16th century, when Spanish soldiers came seeking riches for themselves and their king. Known as El Dorado to the Spanish explorers, the legend states that an exquisite native Incan city flourished some 500 years ago in the midst of the jungle. The hunt for El Dorado has consumed intrepid fortune hunters for centuries as they continue to take unsuccessful gambles to find its wealth in the jungles of the Amazon basin. Forgotten archaeological sites that have remained hidden for 500 years have been found, but not yet any gold. These lost ruins, however, are in areas covered the broken topography and a layer of vegetation so dense it could hide some things forever...