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Nexware.
Luxury handicrafts · 06

Bidriware &
Dhokra Metal Craft

Bidri inlay from Bidar and Dhokra lost-wax casting — two of the most distinctive metal traditions in the world, and two of the slowest to produce at any volume.

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A craftsman hammering brass by hand in a workshop in Amritsar, India
What we buy

What we buy in this line

  • BidriwareZinc-alloy body with pure silver inlay, blackened in Bidar soil.
  • Bidri tableware and objectsBoxes, vases, bowls, coasters and desk objects.
  • Dhokra figuresLost-wax cast brass figures in the coiled-thread Dhokra idiom.
  • Dhokra homewareBowls, lamps, planters and wall pieces cast by the same method.
  • Mixed-mediaMetal craft mounted to wood, stone or leather bases.
  • Commissioned workOne-off and limited-edition pieces to a supplied design.
Acceptance criteria

What we fix before casting or inlay

Hand-made goods are bought against an approved sample, not a drawing. That only works if what the sample is being judged on is written down before anyone starts.

AlloyBody alloy stated for bidri; brass composition stated for Dhokra.
Silver contentPurity and approximate weight of the inlay silver, since you are paying for it.
Inlay techniqueTarkashi wire, teh nishan sheet, or a combination — named on the sample.
BlackeningThe oxidation process and how the finish is expected to age.
Wall thickness and weightNominal thickness and finished weight with a tolerance.
Casting finishPermitted porosity, seam and file marks, agreed against a master sample.
VariationDhokra is one-off by method; the acceptable spread across a run is written down.

Every criterion above appears in the inspection report as a pass or a fail, with the measurement beside it. Where a criterion is a judgement rather than a number, the judgement is recorded against a retained physical sample.

Risk & compliance

What we screen before a sample is quoted

Silver substitution

Aluminium and nickel wire inlaid in place of silver is common and is very hard to see once blackened. Verified analytically where the price assumes silver.

Machine-cast Dhokra

Sand-cast or die-cast copies finished to look hand-worked. The give-away is on the interior surface, which is where we look.

Foundry conditions

Small lost-wax foundries run with minimal extraction or protection. This is an audit finding and should be treated as one.

Capacity

Both crafts are made by small artisan communities. Volume commitments beyond real capacity end in substitution.

Where this is made

Clusters we work for this line

BidarBastarBankuraAdilabadMoradabad

Bidriware is GI-protected to Bidar. Dhokra is practised by distinct communities across Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Odisha, each with a recognisably different hand.

Related lines

The other hand-made skills

Pashmina & Fine ShawlsHand-made Banarasi & Silk BrocadeHand-made Patola, Muga & HandloomHand-made Kalamkari & Hand-Printed TextilesHand-made Chikankari & ZardoziHand-made Temple Bronze & BrasswareHand-made Meenakari, Thewa & KundanHand-made Jaipur Blue PotteryHand-made Pichwai, Tanjore & MiniatureHand-made Papier-Mâché, Lacquer & WoodHand-made Kashmiri Carpets & RugsHand-made

Send us the sample. We will tell you honestly.

Whether we can source it well in India, what it should cost, and what could go wrong — before you commit to anything.

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