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Nexware.
Luxury handicrafts · 11

Papier-Mâché, Lacquerware
& Carved Wood

Kashmiri papier-mâché, Channapatna lacquer turnery and Saharanpur carved wood — three surface traditions where the finish is the product and the substrate has to survive shipping.

Start a brief for this line The handicrafts wing
A woodworker cutting a carved pattern into a hardwood board with a mallet and chisel at a workbench
What we buy

What we buy in this line

  • Kashmiri papier-mâchéMoulded and hand-painted boxes, ornaments, panels and objects.
  • Naqashi paintingThe fine gold-and-colour surface work that defines the Kashmiri form.
  • Channapatna lacquerwareTurned wood in ivory wood, coloured with lac and vegetable dye.
  • Saharanpur carved woodRelief-carved panels, furniture, screens and giftware.
  • Inlay and marquetryBrass, resin and contrasting timber inlay on carved bodies.
  • Interiors componentsCarved panels and turned elements supplied into your own assembly.
Acceptance criteria

What we fix before production

Hand-made goods are bought against an approved sample, not a drawing. That only works if what the sample is being judged on is written down before anyone starts.

SubstratePapier-mâché layer count, or timber species and grade for turned and carved work.
Moisture contentTarget percentage at packing — the main cause of failure on arrival.
Surface preparationGround coats and sanding before decoration begins.
DecorationNaqashi detail level or lacquer colour, held against an approved sample.
Finish and sheenVarnish or lacquer system with the sheen matched to a standard.
Toy safetyFor Channapatna items marketed to children, the applicable US toy standard.
PackingCarton, cushioning and, where wood packaging is used, ISPM 15 treatment.

Every criterion above appears in the inspection report as a pass or a fail, with the measurement beside it. Where a criterion is a judgement rather than a number, the judgement is recorded against a retained physical sample.

Risk & compliance

What we screen before a sample is quoted

Lead in colour and lacquer

Decorative finishes are a known lead route. Anything for children is tested to CPSIA rather than declared safe.

Species legality

Carved and turned timber carries Lacey Act declaration duties for US importers. Species and harvest legality are documented at source.

Moisture and cracking

Wood packed wet in a humid month splits in a dry US winter. Measured at packing and recorded on the inspection report.

Machine-carved substitution

CNC-roughed work finished by hand and sold as hand-carved. It is a legitimate product, but only when described accurately.

Where this is made

Clusters we work for this line

SrinagarChannapatnaSaharanpurJodhpurNagina

Three unrelated traditions grouped by the fact that all three are judged on surface. They share no suppliers and no clusters.

Related lines

The other hand-made skills

Pashmina & Fine ShawlsHand-made Banarasi & Silk BrocadeHand-made Patola, Muga & HandloomHand-made Kalamkari & Hand-Printed TextilesHand-made Chikankari & ZardoziHand-made Bidriware & DhokraHand-made Temple Bronze & BrasswareHand-made Meenakari, Thewa & KundanHand-made Jaipur Blue PotteryHand-made Pichwai, Tanjore & MiniatureHand-made Kashmiri Carpets & RugsHand-made

Send us the sample. We will tell you honestly.

Whether we can source it well in India, what it should cost, and what could go wrong — before you commit to anything.

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