Jaipur is famous for its exotics blue pottery. You could buy a range of decoratives
such as ashtrays, vases, coasters, small bowls and boxes for trinkets.
The conventional floral or arabesque, handmade patterns and the animal figure patterns
are the prominent designs. The various articles shaped out are mostly the traditional
ones like surahis or pots of different shapes and sizes for multiple uses.
The distinctive feature of the blue pottery is that it is made of ground quartz.
The clay is not used at all.
The name comes from the eye-catching Persian blue dye used to color the clay. The
Jaipur blue pottery, made out of Egyptian paste, is glazed and low-fired. Some of
this pottery is semi-transparent and mostly decorated with animal and bird motifs.
Being fired at very low temperature makes them fragile.
Making of Blue Pottery
All the material that goes into composition- quartz, raw glaze, sodium sulphate,
multani clay, all requires the same temperature and the pottery needs to be fired
only once unlike other pottery. It is also more imperious and therefore more hygienic
for daily use. The ornamentation is done with brush made of squirrels hair.
To increase the strength of the joints and to give it a smooth finish, more kundan
is applied. Kundankari is such a specialized work that it is carried by a group
of craftsmen, each carrying out a specific task. The chiterias make the basic design,
the ghaarias are responsible for engraving and making holes, meenakari or enameling
is done by the enameller and the goldsmith takes care of the Kundan or gold.
The traditional colours used to make blue pottery are blue (from oxide of cobalt),
green (from the oxide of copper) and white. In addition of blue and green, other
combinations have now been evolved, such as canary yellow, dark blue and brown.
Where To Buy Blue Pottery in Jaipur
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Name
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Address
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Heritage India
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Near Hotel Holiday Inn, 38 Golimar Garden Scheme, Amer Road, Jaipur Ph: 0141-2672021
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Jaipur India Sakshi
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Laxmi Colony, Sanganer Jaipur Ph: 0141- 2731862
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Rajasthali
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Ajmeri Gate, MI Road, Jaipur Ph: 0141-5103329, 2372974 Jaipur - 340201
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Handicraft Plus
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340 - A, Tagore Nagar, Ajmer Road Jaipur - 302 006 Ph:0141- 327 1830, 236 0589
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Crafts Bazaar
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69 / 187 Ganga Marg Veer Tejaji Road, Mansarovar Jaipur - 302 015 Ph: 0141- 645
6272, 402 4997
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Neerja International
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Shop: S-19 Bhawani Singh Road C- Scheme Jaipur - 302001 Ph: 0141-2224395, 2223511
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