The Craft
Bidri is a metal-inlay craft associated with Bidar, a town in Karnataka, India. A base metal object is cast, hand-engraved with a pattern, inlaid with silver, and then chemically blackened so the silver stands out against a dark ground.
We're presenting only what we can currently stand behind. Specific historical claims — exact dates, exclusivity claims, and material specifics — are marked for verification in our Journal and CONTENT_VERIFICATION.md before they appear as settled fact.
The Making
This is a general outline of the Bidri process as commonly described. Exact steps, timings and materials used by our specific artisan partner are being confirmed — see the note on each stage.
A base object is cast from a metal alloy — commonly described as a zinc-and-copper mix in Bidri work generally. The exact alloy composition used for HASTAVI pieces is TO VERIFY with our artisan partner.
Pure or high-purity silver is used for the inlay in traditional Bidri work. The exact silver purity used in our pieces is TO VERIFY.
The pattern is marked and cut into the cast surface, traditionally by hand with a fine chisel. Whether every HASTAVI piece is fully hand-engraved without any machine assistance is TO VERIFY.
Silver wire or sheet is set into the engraved channels and burnished flush with the surface — the core technique that gives Bidri its name recognition. Process specifics for our pieces are TO VERIFY.
The base metal is chemically treated to darken it while leaving the inlaid silver bright — commonly described as using a specific local soil-and-salt mixture in traditional accounts. The exact formulation and sourcing used for our pieces is TO VERIFY; we won't repeat specific soil-sourcing claims until confirmed.
A final polish brings up the contrast between the blackened ground and the silver pattern. Finishing methods and any coating used are TO VERIFY.
A Note on Accuracy
Craft heritage claims are easy to romanticise and easy to get wrong. Where we haven't independently verified a fact with our artisan partner — an exact age, an exclusivity claim, a certification — we've marked it for verification rather than stating it outright. You can follow what's confirmed and what isn't in our Journal as it develops.
Read the Journal