Long reads with the makers behind our pieces: how they learn, what they make, and how to keep their work for years.
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Rakesh has thrown pots in the same workshop his father rented in 1998. He still tests every glaze by eye.
8 stories
Jaipur's blue pottery uses no clay at all. Here is how the quartz body, the glaze and the brush come together.
From a village in Kutch, the mirror work and chain stitch that began as a family craft and now fill our cushions.
A short guide to how hand block printing works, from carving the wooden block to the last rinse.
Sunil carves every tray from a single board of seasoned teak. Then he oils it, waits, and oils it again.
A simple way to keep brass diyas bright, and how to light them so they burn cleaner and longer.
Engraved copper develops a warm patina. Here is how to keep the shine if you want it, or let it .
Each object in our shop carries a number, a maker card and a note. Here is why we bother.
Lakshmi Devi fires her clay lanterns twice, once to set the shape and once to bring out the glow.
Try another word or pick a different topic.
Three hours at the wheel with Rakesh's team in Khurja.
Carve a small block and print your first repeat, in Jaipur.
Bring a chipped vase or a dull tray. We will show you how to fix it.
First wheel-thrown pieces from the family workshop.
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Hand-painted quartz pieces join the range.
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Village embroiderers start stitching cushions for us.
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Saharanpur woodwork and Moradabad metalcraft arrive together.
“I read the copper story twice, then polished my tumbler for the first time in a year.”
“The block printing guide finally explained why my indigo fades. I wash it inside out now.”
“Sunil's teak story made me oil my tray. It looks like new.I wash it inside out now .”
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Rakesh Kumar was nine the first time his father let him touch the wheel. The clay slipped, the pot collapsed, and he was told to start again.
Twenty-six years later he works with a team of nine in a workshop that smells of wet earth and wood smoke. Every glaze is still tested by eye, one tile at a time.
“The clay tells you what it wants,” he says. “If you rush it, it punishes you.” That is why his studio makes fewer pieces than the market would like, and why each one is numbered.
Behind the studioBlue pottery from Jaipur is made from quartz powder, glass and a little clay rather than the earth most potters use. The result is light and bright.
Each piece is painted by hand and fired more than once. Colour is built up in thin coats, so a bud vase can take several days from start to finish.
We visited the workshop in the spring. The painters work in silence, with the piece on a low stool and a brush no thicker than a pencil.
Meet the makersIn a Kutch village, embroidery was once a way for women to keep a record of the family: marriages, harvests, journeys.
Today the same chain stitch and mirror work decorate cushions, bags and throws. Each piece takes between three and six weeks, depending on the density of the pattern.
Meera Patel leads a group of twelve embroiderers. She says the hardest part is not the stitch but the patience to keep the thread tension even across a whole cushion.
Craft guides.webp)
Block printing starts with a carved wooden block, usually teak. Each colour needs its own block, so a three-colour pattern means three carvings.
The cloth is soaked, dried and then stamped by hand, one repeat at a time. Natural dyes such as indigo and madder need several days to set.
Tip for home: wash block-printed cloth in cold water, turn it inside out, and dry it in the shade. Sunlight is the fastest way to fade the colour.
Meet the makersSunil Verma’s workshop is a shed behind his house. The best teak comes from boards that have been air-dried for at least two years.
A serving tray takes him two days: one to shape, one to finish. He rubs in food-safe oil, leaves it overnight, and repeats the process three times.
“Wood moves,” he says. “If you finish it too early, it will crack in the first summer. You have to let it settle.”
Care & keeping.webp)
Brass diyas blacken over time from soot and oil. A little tamarind and warm water brings them back in a few minutes.
Use a cotton wick and a light oil, and trim the wick to about a centimetre before lighting. A long, untrimmed wick is the main cause of smoke.
Keep them away from draughts, and never leave a lit diya unattended. Clean them once a month if they are used often.
Care & keeping.webp)
Copper reacts with air, and the reaction gives it a soft brown patina over months. Many people love that change.
If you prefer the shine, a gentle paste of lemon and salt removes the patina in seconds. Rinse well and dry the piece immediately.
For everyday use, hand-wash with mild soap and never leave acidic food in the tumbler for long periods.
Behind the studio.webp)
When you buy a piece from Kaarigar, you also get a small card with the maker’s name, the village and the date it was finished.
The number lets us trace a piece back to the workshop if it needs repair. It also lets makers see where their work ends up.
It is a small thing, but it turns a purchase into a relationship that lasts longer than the object.
Meet the makers.webp)
Lakshmi Devi has been working clay on the same wheel for thirty-one years. Her lanterns start as a single cylinder of local clay, cut open and shaped while it is still soft enough to bend.
They are fired twice. The first firing sets the form. The second, at a lower heat, brings out the warm glow that makes a lantern look lit even before a diya is placed inside.
Each one is slow to make and a little uneven by design. Hold one up to a lamp and you will see the hand that shaped it.