Meenakari is the art of enameling the surface of any metal with colors. The word Meenakari is divided into two parts, Meena means ‘enamel’ and the word Kari means ‘art’. Thus this art is called Meenakari means ‘art of enameling’. It is one of the ancient arts found in the history of India. This art was introduced by Persian craftsmen and ultimately spread to other countries by Mongolians. This Shahi art was then flourished in Jaipur around the 16th century by Raja Man Singh who invited some artisans from Lahore. Artisans gave the art set of Indian flavor and explicit look. The close alliance of Mughal and Rajputs leads to the flourishing time of Meenakari. Now, Jaipur is the center of traditional Meenakari art and has its own distinctive way of metal decorating style in India. It is very rare that artisans share knowledge of Meenakari with outsiders. It is only passed from generation to generation.
To make Meenakari designs a high degree of skill is required. The process of it is very complex as every single piece of it passes through a separate skilled artisan before it is finished. The process starts with Designers then with help of Sonar(goldsmiths) Basic design is created. Then it comes to Meenakari who engraves the design on the metal surface with enamel colors. The product is then polished and given to the stone setter. At the final stage, the product is going for the tiring process of Meenakari. Metal is kept in a furnace to heat which helps in the fusing and hardening of colors over metal. The piece is cleaned with a mix of lime and tamarind for bringing out the lustre of each color. Colors are metal oxides which are mixed with a dash of powdered glass. This mixture shows color when the products are put in the furnace. Enamel colors are bought and brought from either Amritsar, Punjab, or from Germany or France. Red, Green and White enamels dominate in this art. White color is always applied first and red is the last.
Traditionally Meenakari jewellery was done on gold for the longest period of time. Gold holds the enamel better and looks stunning as it brings the colors right out of enamel. Now meenakari is done in silver and copper and white metal, too. With the silver base, green, yellow and blue colors are used while for gold, all colors can be used. The motif of Minakari's work is inspired by the designs of birds, animals, flowers, etc.
Artisans have also developed products like jewellery boxes, idols, dining sets, trays, bowls, and showpieces. During the Mughal era, it was also done on hookahs and Paan-daans. Jaipur is the hub of Meenakari but Delhi and Banaras are other important centers. Other regions like Nathdwara, Bikaner and Udaipur are famous for silver Meenakari and Pratapgarh for glass enameling. In recent trends, Kundan Minakari is very famous among all over jewellery buyers.
Meenakari is getting popular among art lovers. Products are being used for different purposes like decorative items in drawing rooms, jewellery storage, etc. or many other things. The demand for these products is also high in the global market.
This art is practiced in quite a few places in India today. All pieces of Meenakari are as durable as metal. A number of different styles have been integrated into the Meenakari work, giving it a new sense of style. Artisans always keep one thing constant is that the culture and tradition of the art shouldn’t get hampered or vanished.
Unfortunately, this art is dying slowly due to the changing in customer demand, changes in the price of raw materials. Artisans are also moving to different works. Single artisans are also engaged in multiple tasks for Meenakari work because all people are important to the chain of making Meenakari. The cost of metal and stones is high in Meenakari work, which makes the product very costly. Consumers buy this luxury item for a long period of time because traditional Meenakari designs demand a high price. Various organizations are trying to keep this art alive and make it sustainable in the global market too.
