Surat Zari Gold Thread Weaving Gujarat

Surat in Gujarat is India's premier centre for zari (gold and silver metallic thread) production, supplying over 90 percent of the zari used in Indian textile weaving including Banarasi brocade, Kancheepuram silk, and Paithani sarees, as well as in garment embellishment and festival decoration. Surat zari is produced through a multi-stage process: gold or silver wire is drawn from ingots to fine gauge, wound onto a core of silk or cotton thread in a spiral winding process called zardsozi, then further processed into different zari formats — kasab (real zari with gold foil on silk), badla (flat metallic strip), and salma-sitara (sequin-like discs). Real zari uses pure gold or silver foil wrapped on silk thread; synthetic zari uses metallised polyester film wound on polyester core, costing a fraction of real zari. Surat's zari industry employs over 100,000 workers in the narrow lanes of the Rander, Nanpura, and Mahidharpura areas, with each household specialising in a specific zari-making process. The Surat zari cluster exports to all major Indian handloom centres and to the Gulf, UK, and USA for Indian ethnic garment production. GI protection for Surat Zari is under process. The Gujarat government promotes Surat Zari through the GCCI and Surat Textile Market.