Bidri Craft ~ Waat eet ees?

Bidri is the craft of inlaying pure silver in a blackened alloy of zinc and copper. The craft gets its name from the Bidar district of Karnataka, where it is practiced. It originated in Iran (Persia) and came to India in the 14th century.

The significance of the craft lies not only in its beauty, history and production technique, but also in a special ingredient- the soil from the Bidar Fort. The black soil from the Bidar Fort has special chemical properties. The soil has been away from sunlight and rain for hundreds of years and is used as an oxidizing agent. For this, the craft obtained the ‘Geographical Indication (G.I.)’ tag to certify that it cannot be made anywhere else except Bidar. Despite the GI tag, the craft is on the wane due to a sharp rise in raw material prices – the price of silver has risen three-fold in the past 4 years, forcing a gradual decline in demand for Bidriware.

Bidri Process

Casting the alloy: A mix of soil, castor oil and resin is used to prepare a mould, in which the molten metal alloy of zinc and copper (in the ratio of 16:1) is poured to form the product base.

Since the surface of the casting is rough, a file or sandpaper is used to smoothen it.

       

Drawing the design: Copper sulphate is applied on the surface, which causes it to become temporarily black in colour. This makes it easy for the craftsman to draw the designs clearly on the black surface. The design is drawn using a metal stylus.

 

Engraving the design: Craftsmen then use a chisel to carve out this design.

        

Inlaying:  Inlay work is of two types - sheet work or wire work, depending on the design. Sheets or wires of pure silver are meticulously hammered into the grooves of the engraved design.

The silver is hammered in and the surface is buffed and smoothened to remove the extra silver jutting out.

      

After complete filing of the product, the temporary black coating is lost and the entire surface turns white again. The silver inlay work is hardly visible now.

Oxidizing:
The process of oxidizing is very unique to Bidri work. The soil from the Bidar Fort is mixed with ammonium chloride and boiling water to form a solution.

                          

When this solution is applied to the product surface, the zinc-copper alloy turns jet black, while the silver is unaffected. This black colour is permanent and does not fade. The end product is striking silver against a black background.