Clay is one of the most common sedimentary rocks and it consists of one or several minerals of kaolinite and montmorilonite group or other bedding silicates.

A major part of extracted clay in the world makes up kaolin which is used in wood-pulp and paper industry in manufacturing of china, faience and refractory products.

Georgia is not an exception as well, numerous hotbeds of ceramics making have been known here since olden days and each of them was directly connected with a clay deposit.

Earthenware or its remains are practically found in all excavations of ancient man’s sites. Particular place in the earthenware took and takes black ceramics, known since about third millennium B.C. Traditions of making ceramics of this kind are related to Etruscans culture (ancient Etruria) as well as to the culture of ancient Georgia.

Georgia during all its history has been rich in traditions of using clays in medicine and cosmetology, in manufacturing earthenware, china and faience crockery and other articles.

Georgia is rich in different types of refractory raw materials. They are represented by alumosilicates, magnesial and siliceous clays.

The clays often have impurities of accessory minerals: feldspars, quartz mica, pyroxenes, magnetite, limonite and other. The color of clays depends on the presence of iron oxides and black carbon.

On the territory of Georgia grayish - white, light-grey, dark-grey and yellow-red clays are mainly encountered. Their white and grayish-white variety is called kaolin. Deposits and shows of such clays are mainly connected with Jurassic cretaceous and tertiary rocks

Jurassic fire-clays are mainly associated with continental sediments and are situated on Georgian Block.

Chemical composition of the of some clay deposits of Georgia (%) 

Deposit	SiO2	Al2O3	Fe2O3	TiO2	CaO	MgO	Na2O	K2O	SO3	P22O5	L.O.I.
Kandara	64.22	29.51	2.15	0.12	0.51	0.58	2.00	1.03	1.75	-	1.80
Macharula	51.89	31.98	2.46	1.15	0.81	0.18	1.44	0.25	0.88	0.05	9.69
Gelati	50.04	36.61	1.00	0.04	0.26	0.34	-	-	1.87	-	12.65
Djvari	49.12	35.01	2.93	0.10	0.32	0.60	-	-	-	-	11.93
Chartali	53.20	28.42	0.49	0.90	0.18	0.36	1.34	5.69	0.10	-	4.28
Tsetkhlauri-1	47.06	28.26	2.60	-	0.49	0.35	1.10		0	-	9.90
Tsetkhlauri-2	47.58	26.98	1.42	-	0.55	1.99	2.44		trace	-	7.11
Tsetkhlauri-3	44.60	31.60	1.80	-	0.31	0.22	3.28		trace	-	10.22
Djikhadjvari	65.64	22.32	1.74	0.90	0.44	0.96	0.36	3.25	2.46	-	4.10
Ochkhamuri	52.50	27.72	4.43	0.12	1.90	0.65	1.53	1.63	0.71	-	10.40
MakvaneTi	57.75	27.80	1.14	0.44	0.51	0.93	2.04	2.00	0.74	0	8.14
Gogolauri	47.30	32.96	2.04	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	7.84
Eliatsminda	57.70	28.00	1.80	0.85	1.37	0.74	0.41	0.70	0.23	-	8.25
Cikarauli	64.35	23.75	15.05	1.06	0.47	0.21	0.26	0.49	-	-	8.19
Sormoni	60.85	25.85	3.18	-	1.33	0.94	0.69		0.65	-	9.24
Rioni	56.66	27.30	2.97	-	1.87	0.59	0.66		0.86	-	8.97
Zarati	58.53	22.69	4.95	-	1.49	0.37	1.05		1.05	-	8.47
Dambludi	64.64	23.26	10.30	0.61	0.63	0.43	1.10	3.88	0.14	-	-