Gift Box - Bidri Phuljhari Work

At times when you run out of gift ideas and are simply unable to come up with an apt gift choice for your friends or relatives at a particular occasion, here is one thoughtful gift idea you cannot go wrong with. At religious occasions or social events, present your loved ones with this beautifully handcrafted Gift Box - Bidri Phuljhari Work and treat them to the goodness of a gorgeous gift.

This amazing Bidriware is one of its kind and exclusively available for online purchase only at goroots. It is hand-thrown using traditional Bidri skills and hence you will find an even black finish throughout the artefact. This is a result of the zinc and copper alloy which is used to handcraft such a stunning yet durable Bidriware.

The box is evenly coated with a brilliant Phuljhari (sparkler) work. Its heavy design perfectly co-ordinates with the jet-black finish of the box and hence brings up an intriguing spectacle. The design is inlaid using pure silver metal and it takes great diligence and mastery to come up with such a glamorous creativity.

About Bidri Art

The Bidri Art is identified as one of the most popular metal handicrafts that originated in Bidar region of Karnataka. It was first introduced during the rule of the Bahamani Sultans in around 14th century C.E. The township of Bidar lends the art its name Bidriware and it is still a prominent centre for crafting intriguing metallic products.

The handmade Bidri products are valued as a symbol of wealth. The metal used in Bidri products is a blackened alloy copper and zinc inlaid with fine sheets of pure silver metal. The fine motifs and the wirework with which Bidriware is laced, gives the products a unique definition altogether. Moreover, Bidri handicraft products are in great demand in the export market due to its gorgeous inlay work.

Procedure

Unique Bidriware products are handcrafted from an alloy of copper and zinc by casting in the ratio 1:16. While the zinc content gives the alloy a rich jet black colour, copper provides it with a noticeable lustre and robustness.

A mould of soil is made malleable by adding resin and castor oil. After the molten metal has been poured into this mould, the cast piece is smoothened by filing for a shiny look and feel. This casting is coated with a concentrated solution of copper sulphate that provides it with a temporary black coating on which the designs are etched freehand.

The designs are usually the typical poppy flowers and vine creepers, stars and Ashrafi-ki-booti. Some may also feature traditional motifs in the form of Arabic script or the Persian Rose.

The casting is then securely placed in a clamp to engrave it with intricate motifs using small chisels. Its grooves are then carefully hammered with flattened strips of pure silver metal or fine wires for a desired look

Before the Bidriware artefact could be sold out in the market it is filed, chiselled, polished and smoothened to remove deformities caused due to the black coating. This process results in a strikingly noticeable silver inlay shining on a dark metallic background.

Region

The art of Bidri handicraft is widely practised in Bidar, Karnataka as well as in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Purnia in Bihar, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Murshidabad in West Bengal are few of the other regions of the country that produce excellent Bidri products.