The answer to yesterday's post is.... November 17 2014

......Nathdwara which is a small town on the outskirts of Udaipur, situated on bank of Banas River.
It is famous for not just the pichhwais but also for its characteristic meenakari (enamel) work- The Nathdwara enameling.

The earliest enamelers of Nathdwara were Mughal/ Persian origin craftsmen who came & settled here after the installation of the Shri Nathji's idol (in 1669) They have been doing this work for generations together- passing down the trade secrets from father to son. Their expertise lay in not just the application and art work but also in producing their own enamels......procuring verifiable substances from the bed of Banas- mostly transparent fusible glass rendered semi transparent & opaque by addition of metallic oxides. They could prepare very fine type of enamel that could acquire lusture even on the application of moderate heat- even without complete fusion.

The piece of metal on which the work has to be done is fixed on a lac stick. Delicate designs of flowers, birds and esoteric symbols are etched/carved on it. These leads to formation of groves/depressions that hold the enamel. Each color/enamel is painstakingly applied with a fine brush & then fired which melts the enamel (the powdered glass fuses with metal) and results in the end product which is then manually buffed for added shine & finish.

Today, Nathdwara enameling is thriving cottage industry, driven by huge domestic & export demand.

And why are we telling you all this? Just so that you know where the next Lai collection is coming from and what technique we are working with next!

Pretty & vibrant- we are sure you'll love our next collection! :)

Grinding/ preparing the enamel.........................Application of enamel on to the jewellery pieces.