minakari / enameling

Minakari or enameling, (also known as Talavera in Central America and Canada) is a method of decorating objects with enamel (mina). It is an art and a craft, one of the most important and iconic forms of Persian arts and crafts. Meenakari (enameling) is typically done on ceramics, porcelain, and metal such as gold, copper (known as copper enameling), silver, aluminum, steel, brass, glass (known as glass enameling), and bronze.

To create a metal minakari work, a metal is first selected as the starting material and then shaped and sized by a metalworker. The object is then evenly coated with a white glaze by an enamel artisan. The glazed metal object is later decorated with hand-drawn floral and abstract patterns before being fired in a kiln. When the object is finally removed from the kiln, it is covered with a higher-quality glaze and fired a second time.

Copper and brass are the most popular metals for enameling art because they require multiple glazing, which strengthens them considerably. Durability, formability, and the ability to be rolled into sheets are some of the properties of copper. These features make it an excellent choice for meenakari. You can also wash copper and brass with cleaning agents without getting damaged. Their capacity to absorb glaze is more significant than other metals, which is another advantage that makes them preferable.

Minakari Decorative Items Usage

Minakari is done to adorn metal and non-metal containers like pottery with decorative designs. Works of enameling are among the wealthiest and most exquisite Persian handicrafts and can serve as:

• Splendid and unique decoration for homes and workplaces (in the form of table vases and wall-hanging plates)
• Outstanding gifts for friends and acquaintances
• Promotional and corporate donations and awards
• Tableware

Different Styles of Minakari Decorative Dishes

Various kinds of containers can be turned into authentic Persian masterpieces through minakari, which gives you a great range of options to choose from based on personal taste and the interior design of your home or workplace. Meenakari can be categorized into three styles:

1. Painted meenakari: Done to different ornament types of containers.
2. Wire-inlaid: One of the traditional techniques of enameling (the most popular one in Canada).
3. Grooved meenakari: Involves designs being engraved on the object.

Different Types of Minakari/Enameling Products

Minakari artists create a great variety of products, the most popular of which include:

• Plates, bowls, vases, picture frames, and framed meenakari — which are sometimes decorated, in combination with minakari, by crafts such as gilding, khatamkari, miniature painting, and jewelry making.
• Decorative objects such as Khatamkari and enameled boxes, tea and beverage sets, armors, mirrors, hookahs, Quran boxes, pen cases, belts, meenakari bubbles, snuff cases, rosewater pitchers, photo albums, and dagger scabbards.
• Enameling jewelry, such as earrings, necklaces, rings, and pendants... A powder coating is applied to the metal to make enamel jewelry. At extremely high temperatures, the powder coating is fused to the base metal.

6 Characteristics of Authentic Minakari

Top-quality works of meenakari exhibit a set of distinct characteristics, namely:

1. Flatness and evenness of enamel base surface
2. Being free of cracks, cuts, chips, bubbles, holes, or scratches
3. Glossiness
4. Evenness of paint thickness
5. Authentic and delicate Persian patterns
6. High-class and intact glaze coating on the container’s back/bottom

Minakari Price & Buying Tips

It is important to find out the price of Minakari before purchasing them. This is easy today as CyrusCrafts' enameling page provides you with a guideline of the different types of Minakari and then within your desired price range it starts from 100 and can go up to 1,500 United States dollars depending on the quality and materials.

Minakari Exports

The art of minakari has captured the interest of many people around the globe. Persian meenakari products are currently exported to different countries, including the USA, Canada and Europe. Cyruscrafts specializes in the supply, sale, and export of the best Persian handicrafts, including meenakari works. We bring you high-class, one-of-a-kind products that will liven up and individualize your home or workplace.