Bidriware Zinc Silver Inlay

Bidriware is a distinctive metal craft from Bidar, Karnataka, in which silver or gold wire is inlaid into a zinc-copper alloy body and then blackened with a unique soil paste from the Bidar fort to create a dramatic contrast. The body is cast or beaten into shape — trays, hookah bases, boxes, vases, jewellery — then engraved with arabesque, floral, or geometric patterns. Silver wire is hammered into the engraved channels and the surface is blackened with a paste of ammonium chloride and Bidar soil (which has unique properties that selectively oxidise the alloy but not the silver). The craft was brought to Bidar by Persian artisans during the Bahmani Sultanate in the 14th century. Bidriware has GI certification and is one of the most distinctive Islamic craft traditions in India. The Bidar Metal Craft Cooperative sustains artisan clusters.