The Saint Joseph Collection was created in collaboration with the Hernández family of San José de Gracia, Michoacán, a town celebrated for its sculptural ceramic pineapples that balance the ornate and the grounded, the traditional and the playful.
ONORA was drawn as much to the process as to the finished pieces. Each form is crafted using pastillaje, a hand technique where small bits of clay are pinched and placed onto a vessel’s surface, often forming petals, spines, or delicate flourishes.

This technique has deep roots in Mexican ceramics, but it was the late Teodora Blanco Núñez of Santa María Atzompa, Oaxaca, who brought it widespread recognition. Teodora developed an iconic style of clay figures known as muñecas: unpainted women with braided hair, flowing skirts, and dresses adorned with sculpted floral details. Her pastillaje was intricate, delicate, and bold — adding both texture and narrative to every surface.

ONORA’s approach to pastillaje is quieter but deeply respectful of this lineage. The Sorgo Candleholder, for example, is adorned with clay embellishments added while the body is still damp, then sealed with vidriado, a glass-like glaze introduced during Mexico’s colonial era. This gives each piece its gentle sheen and lasting strength, striking a balance between soft touch and structural durability.

It’s the kind of craftsmanship you notice slowly, details that reveal themselves over time, like stories unfolding.