LAC JEWELLERY

Lac Jewellery

Lac has been used since ancient times in India, in making jewellery as a cosmetic, for dyeing wool, silk, leather and also in medicines.

Lac is the red resinous secretion of some insects. These are very tiny plant sucking insects, which attach themselves in millions of numbers on branches of trees. Their secretion is red in colour and coated on the branches of the host trees. These branches  are cut and harvested as stick lac.

The stick lac is crushed and sieved to remove impurities. Then it is washed a number of times to remove insect parts and other soluble material. The resulting product is known as seedlac.  It is used in  violins and varnishes etc.  Seedlac is again  processed into shellac by removing the impurities it still contains.

In India Lac is produced in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Maharastra

Lacis used for making jewellery, key chains, framing mirrors, boxes, pens, pen stands, table tops, coasters, napkin holders and many more.  

Lac Jewellery is hand made and the entire family is involved in its manufacturing process. It is made mainly in Rajasthan and to some extent in Hyderabad too.

Here is the process of making of this jewellery:

http://lacjewelry.com/manufacturing.php

Kundans, stones, beads and mirrors etc are also used to enhance the beauty of the pieces besides enamel paints. The price depends upon the craftsmanship, design and how delicately the piece is made. There are no doubt pieces to suit every ones pocket. Its just that we need to strike a balance between the price and the quality.

I love collecting them. here is a glimpse...

These are ear studs available in two sizes-studded with stones. Below are the danglers. All are available in a variety of colours.

These are light weight too. Some more next time...keep a watch....