Meenakari is the art of coloring and ornamenting the surface of metals by fusing over it brilliant

colors that are decorated in an intricate design.

Origin
Mina is the feminine form of Minoo in Persian, meaning heaven. Mina refers to the Azure color of
heaven. The Iranian craftsmen of Sasanied era invented this art and Mongols spread it to India and
other countries.
French tourist, Jean Chardin, who toured Iran during the Safavid rule, made a reference to an
enamel work of Isfahan, which comprised a pattern of birds and animals on a floral background in
light blue, green, yellow and red. Gold has been used traditionally for Meenakari Jewellery as it
holds the enamel better, lasts longer and its luster brings out the colors of the enamels. Silver, a
later introduction, is used for artifacts like boxes, bowls, spoons, and art pieces while Copper which
is used for handicraft products were introduced only after the Gold Control Act, which compelled the
Meenakars to look for a material other than gold, was enforced in India.
Initially, the work of Meenakari often went unnoticed as this art was traditionally used as a backing
for the famous kundan or stone-studded jewellery. This also allowed the wearer to reverse the
jewellery as also promised a special joy in the secret of the hidden design.

History[edit]
Meenakars belong to the Sonar or Sohail caste of Kshatriyas and identify themselves with the name
of Meenakar or Verma. This is a hereditary craft and it is rare that outsiders are allowed to acquire
any knowledge of their craft. The process followed is long drawn and complex in which a single
piece of Meena may pass through many expert hands before being completed.
Meenakari is not just confined to traditional Jewellery but diversifies into more modern products,
often with a copper base, including bowls, ashtrays, key chains, vases, spoons, figures of deities,
and wall pieces. It is a great work for any kinds of vase of marble things.

Process[edit]
The traditional process starts with the designer (Nacquash, Chitera) and moves on to the goldsmith
(Sonar, Swarnakar), the engraver who engraves the design (Kalamkar, Khodnakar), the enamelist
who applies the colour (Meenakar), the polisher (Ghotnawala, Chiknawala), the stone-setter (Jadia,
Kundansaaz), and the stringer (Patua), all of whom are ingredients of an important chain of
craftsmen that create the finished product. However, due to paucity of skilled tradesmen often a
single artisan wears many hats as it is the experience gained over the years that comes in handy to
perform a multiplicity of tasks.
The Meenakars engrave the surface of the metal with intricate designs using a metal stylus which is
then filled in with colors. The Meena is then placed in a furnace where the colors fuse and harden to
become one with the surface. Thereafter the piece is then gently rubbed with a file and cleaned with
a mixture of lemon and tamarind that helps to highlight the luster of each color. Enamel colors are
metal oxides mixed with a tint of finely powdered glass where the oxide content controls the shade
obtained The color yellow is obtained through the use of chromate of potash, violet through
carbonate of manganese, blue through cobalt oxide, green through copper oxide, brown through red
oxide, and black through manganese, iron, and cobalt. The brilliant red is the most difficult of colors
to achieve. White and ivory, though difficult, are achieved through a mix of antinomies of potash,
hydrated iron oxide, and carbonate of zinc. The colors are applied according to their level of
hardness, beginning with the hardest. Before the enamel is applied, the surface of the ornament is
carefully cleaned. In their raw form these mixtures do not always show their true colors, which
emerge only when they are fired in the kiln. The average firing temperature is about 850 degrees
Celsius. The enamel colors are bought either from Amritsar in the Punjab or from Germany or
France.
Enameling was practiced in many centers in India and each region specialized in its own variation of
style and technique. In Lucknow the specialty of the Meenakars was blue and green enameling on
silver, while in Banaras the dusky rose-pink or the gulabi meena was the dominant color. The craft
was also practiced in Kangra, Kashmir, and Bhawalpur. It was, however, most vibrant in Jaipur
(Rajasthan) and in Delhi, and these two centers continue to create Meenakari pieces of excellence
till today.[1]
Influence of Rajasthan’s Meenakari on Bridal Jewelry

Dazzling meenakari works of Rajasthan has greatly influenced the bridal jewelry collection of
India. The beauty of this art lies in the intensity of technical skills required for its creation which
gives perfection to the ornaments with meenakari designs.

Raja Man Singh of Mewar is regarded as the patron of the meenakari art in 16th century Jaipur
due to whose efforts this art gained a wide applaud among the people. Jaipur became the hub of
meenakari art with the influx of highly skilled craftsman from Lahore. In a few years, the talent of
the craftsmen made the place a specialized centre of meenakari designing.
What is Meenakari?
Meenakari designing basically refers to the process of coating grooves or engravings in
ornaments with colored enamels. A wide variety of metals can be used for meenakari designing
which include brass, copper, silver and gold. The jewelry highlights depressions similar to a
popular design or animal figurines or images of gods and goddess. The idea behind this is to give
the appearance of a picture. The look of the pictures is enhanced by filling the enamels which
gives a vivid clarity to the theme according to which the grooves were designed. So, meenakari
jewelry is used to beautifully express various themes and occasions and give exquisite look to it.
This is one of most applauded features of the meenakari technique which distinguishes it from
others.
Types of Meenakari Art
There are chiefly two types of meenakari art which are popular. First is “Ek rang khula” and the
other type is “Panchrangi meena.”

In Ek rang khula enamel, a single colour is used. When ek rang khula type is used for creating
meenakari jewelry for the bride, then it’s a wonderful idea to match the color with the bridal
clothes.
It helps in highlighting the jewelry by accentuating the beauty of the matching earrings,
necklaces, bangles and armbands. It is used basically with more sober colors which include mute
and white pastels to embellish one’s looks.

The word panchrangi refers to the use of five colours which include white, pale blue, dark blue,
red and dark green. These are such vibrant colors that their usage gives an exciting look to the
Indian traditional bridal jewelry.
Meenakari works can also be used in addition to Kundan jewelry which gives an amazing look to
the Indian brides. Use of various precious and semi precious gemstone in the Meenakari art
uplifts the look of the meenakari jewelry to a great level. These designs are such that anybody
can wear it to add that glamorous touch to one’s personality. And a bride can adorn it to gain a
complete divine look which she is believed to be in Hindu mythology on her wedding day.

History of Meenakari Jewelry

The art of meenakari involves coloring and ornamenting the surface of metals with the use of
brilliant colors in a beautiful design. The word, meenakari, is derived from meena, which is the
feminine form of Minoo in Persian, referring to heaven. Meena means the azure color of heaven.
This art was invented by the Iranian craftsmen of Sassanid era and spread by Mongols to India
and other countries. Jean Chardin, a French tourist who toured Iran during the rule of Safavid
referred to an enamel work of Isfahan. This work consisted of a pattern of animals and birds on a
floral background of light blue, yellow, green and red colors.
Journey of Meenakari Art
Since ages, gold has been a preferred metal for meenakari art as it has the ability to hold the
enamel in a better manner. Not only this, the usage of gold in meenakari works also enhances
the luster of the art while bringing out the colors of the enamels beautifully. The usage of silver in
meenakari work was introduced later which was mainly used for making bowls, boxes, spoons,
and art pieces. Later on, copper was also introduced in meenakari art after the Gold Control Act
which forced the meenakars of India to look for metals other than gold for creating meeenakari
jewelry and other art pieces.
In the initial stages, the works of meenakari couldn’t gain wide recognition as the technique was
used as backing for the popular stone-studded jewelry and kundan jewelry. The most fascinating
quality of this jewelry lies in its reversibility as it can be reversed and worn by the wearer to enjoy
different patterns in the same piece of jewelry.

Process of Creating Meenakari Jewelry

The first step involves the designer who is called as chitera and then goes to the goldsmith
who engraves the design. The enamelist applies the colour and the polisher, the stone-setter,
and the stringer form an integral part of the important chain of craftsmen who help in creating
the finished product.
Surface of the metal is engraved with intricate designs by the meenakars using a metal stylus
and later filled with colors. After that, the meena is placed in a furnace where the colors get
fused and hardened and appear uniform to the surface. Thereafter a mixture of lemon and
tamarind is used to gently rub the surface and get the luster of each color highlighted.
Enamel colors chiefly consist of metal oxides mixed with a tint of finely powdered glass. The
color yellow is obtained by using chromate of potash, violet is obtained through carbonate of
manganese, green through copper oxide, blue through cobalt oxide, brown through red oxide,
and black through manganese, iron, and cobalt. The brilliant red is the most difficult color to
be created. The colors are applied on the metal as per their level of hardness keeping the
hardest as the first. Before the application of enamel, it is necessary to clean the surface of
the ornament. To get the true colors, the mixtures are fired in the kiln at an average
temperature of around 850 degree Celsius.
The increased demand for meenakari jewelry in the past few years has certainly proved the
growing charm for this art. Available in both traditional and modern designs, it is becoming the
first choice for the jewelry lovers.
 What is Meenakari Jewellery? Basically, it is enamel-coated gold jewellery that comes in
a variety of colours depending on the design and craftsmanship – the surface is chiselled into
shape embedding different colours into the ornamentation. Meenakari is a delicate craft that
requires a lot of skill. Most sonars are called meenakars and practise this art only within the
family. It is very rare that this art form is passed onto someone outside the family.

Where Does it Come From? Interestingly, meenakari jewellery has its origins in architecture.
Meena work was first created on the Mughal palace walls and then used in jewellery. Meenakari work
attained nirvana during the Mughal era – the begums loved it! But it was first introduced to
Rajasthan by Raja Mansingh of Amer who saw some Lahore-based artisans working with it. Long
ago, meenakari jewellery was used as a back design on traditional polki jewellery. It later became a
design of its own and led to something called reversible jewellery, which is now all the rage.

How is it Made? The meenakari process is tedious. First, the designer creates the design and the
sonar crafts it into shape. After that, it’s the job of the engraver to fine-tune the design and the
enamellist to the decided the colours. The polisher and stone-setter then add the required skills. But
since these many people are not available – this skill is usually practised by one person and that is
the craftsman in demand. Gold is the best option for enamel work because it has the lustre to
showcase such a craft in all its splendour. It also holds the enamel better and adds shine to it. Did
you know? Once they embed the colour and polish the jewellery, it is cleaned with a bit of lemon and
tamarind to retain its colour!
10 facts about Meenakari

1. Meenakari is a Persian art of colouring the surface of metals by fusing brilliant colours. The art was brought
to Varanasi by Persian enamellists around early 17th century during the Mughal era.

2. Mina is the feminine form of “Minoo” in Persian, meaning heaven. Mina refers to the azure colour of
heaven.

3. Introduced in Rajasthan by Raja Mansingh of Amer, this Persian craft was originally used to create designs
on the back of traditional polki jewellery. However, as the craft flourished under Mughal patronage, it became
a design of its own, and led to something called reversible jewellery.

4. One of the most complex crafts, the process of Meenakari remains the same as it was 500 years ago! Even
today, a Meenakari artefact goes through the same assembly line of craftsmen as it used to go through
hundreds of years ago. The process starts with the designer (naquash), then goes to the goldsmith (sonar). It is
then passed on to the engraver (kalamkar) who engraves the design, then the enamelist (meenakar) applies the
colour. The artefact then goes to the polisher (ghotnawala), then the stone-setter (jadia), and finally it goes to
the stringer (patua) for the final touches.

5. Meenakari shows the best on gold as it has a natural sheen that sets off the colours of Meenakari beautifully.
It also holds the enamel better and adds shine to it.

6. Once the colour is embedded in the jewellery and it is polished, the piece is cleaned with a bit of lemon and
tamarind so that it can retain its colour.

7. Meenakari is not just restricted to jewellery. The art now pervades décor products like jewellery boxes,
idols, dining sets, trays, cupboards, bowls, sculptures, key chains and more. Initially, done only on gold, it is
now also done on silver and copper now. While gold is mostly used for jewellery, silver is used for bowls,
spoons, decorative artefacts, and copper is used for sculptures and idols. The Mughal period also saw exquisite
Meenakari on hookahs and paan daans.

8. This intricate art form uses very basic tools like salai (an etching tool), mortar and pestle, kiln, metal palette,
kalam (tool used to apply enamel), forceps, brass dye, small scrubbing brush, takala (a needle like tool to apply
colours), agate stone for polishing and smoothing.

9. Meenakari can be found in three forms:

Ek Rang Khula Meena: Only the gold outlines are exposed and the single transparent colour is used to cover
the whole engraved area.
Panch Rangi Meena: In this form, five colours, namely, green, light blue, dark blue, white and red, are used.
Gulabi Meena: Inspired by the pink blush of roses, pink is the dominant colour in this form of the art.
Varanasi is famous for its Gulabi Meena work.

10. The colours used to create this enamel art are metal oxides, mixed with a dash of powdered glass. These
mixtures do not reveal the actual colours until the product is fired in the furnace