A dear friend here on the blog has today lent us her stunning Meenakari necklace to learn from, and the more I read about the process of making these pieces, the more fascinating it gets! Let’s have a closer look:
An Indian Meenakari necklace
Meenakari is a craft that involves decorating metal with enamel. Today some of the most sought-after Meenakari pieces are produced in Jaipur, and come in the form of jewellery, housewares, sculptures and architecture (1). The craft was invented by the Iranian craftsmen of the Sasanied era and introduced to India by the legendary Mughals, whose empire stretched from 1526 until 1857. I actually became completely engulfed in the history of the Mughals while writing this post, as it involves all kinds of fascinating components; from descendants of the infamous Genghis Khan, to times of great religious tolerance and respect for human rights – on to the building of magnificent monuments like the Taj Mahal (2). But now we must go back to our Meenakari designs:
A close up of the impressive craftsmanship that has gone into making this necklace
There are several steps to Meenakari and the art requires the involvement of a number of craftsmen: a designer draws up the jewellery, traditionally drawing inspiration from nature in the shape of flowers, peacocks, parrots and elephants. A metalsmith then creates the metal base: gold for the more high-end pieces, and silver for the more affordable ones. Another artisan then engraves the metal with the intricate designs, and the enameler – also known as the Meenakar – applies the powdered colour to the piece. It is then fired at a high temperature, which melts the powder and spreads the colour evenly into the piece. The colours are applied in the order of heat resistance – usually with white applied first and red added on last. Finally another specialised craftsman adds on the gemstones.
I would say that the most notable thing with Meenakari is that the design is done on the reverse side of the piece. This means that it is not visible to the rest of the world, but meant to be there merely for the enjoyment of the wearer.
An Indian Meenakari necklace
The craft is passed on from generation to generation, and outsiders never fully know the secrets of the art. Meenakari is a long and laborious craft form and completing one piece of jewellery can take up to several months.
The reverse side of the piece, with the exquisite Meenakari design
Sources:
Decades of Elegance 