Wedgwood also produced a wide variety of ornamental ware and in 1768 developed Black Basalt, a fine black stoneware which has remained popular through three centuries and is still used for prestige ornamental pieces.

After years of searching for the right ingredients, and thousands of experiments, Wedgwood perfected Jasper ware - a very fine-grained stoneware coloured throughout its body. Jasper was prized by Wedgwood above all his creations and until his death in 1795, he devoted much of his energy to producing a wide range of pieces from cameos and portrait medallions to chessmen and candlesticks in many different colours.