Khudai
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The gold surface is hand-engraved with the design's outlines.
The Art of Persian · Mughal · Jaipur
Meenakari
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Vitreous enamel hand-painted onto gold — a craft of fire and patience.
The Story
A craft inherited, never invented.
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Meenakari travelled from Persia to the Mughal court and found its truest home in the workshops of Jaipur, where Raja Man Singh I invited master enamellers to settle in the city. Four centuries later, those same families still practise the craft.
A Meenakari piece is built in fire. Powdered mineral colours are laid into engraved gold, and the piece is fired again and again — once for each colour, in a strict order, because some pigments will not survive the heat of others. A single bangle may pass through the kiln a dozen times.
The Process
From forge to finish
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Rang Bharai
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Mineral colours are placed into the engraved wells with a fine brush.
Bhatti
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The piece is fired in the kiln — once for each colour, in order of heat tolerance.
Ghotai
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The enamel is polished smooth, revealing gold lines between the colours.
The Gallery
Pieces shaped by this fire
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By Appointment
Experience Meenakari at the Atelier.
Sit beside our karigars, hold the pieces in your hands, and let the craft speak for itself.
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