cutlery box

Cultery box decorated with Khatam layers and Tazihib paintings. 

 

An introduction to Khatam (Khatam-kari)

Khatam or Khatam-kari art is an ancient Persian technique of inlaying. In fact, it is a special type of Marquetry. In this art the surfaces of objects are decorated with very small triangles. Khatams various designs have always been in the form of regular geometric shapes. These geometric shapes are made by placing small triangles next to each other. These triangles are made of wood, metal, bone and oyster. The smaller and more delicate the triangles, the better the inlay. In an inlay design, at least three triangles are used to make the smallest geometric unit and up to four hundred triangles for the largest. Inlaying is done on both wooden and metal objects, especially copper.

How are Khatam-kari products made?
To make the khatam layers, first thin strips with a maximum thickness of 1.5 mm are made of wood, metal and bone. Prismatic wires are made of these strips during a special process. Then, by putting these wires together and gluing them with a special glue and finally pressing them, geometric volumes called Ghame are made. By changing the order of prismatic wires next to each other, different designs and patterns of Ghame will be obtained. Next, an inlay layer is obtained by cutting thin layers with a thickness of 1 to 1.5 mm from the made Ghameh. The inlay artist creates a custom design by using a combination of inlay layers and pasting them on the desired surface.
 

Materials used in Khatam-kari work
-Types of wood: ebony, walnut and betel wood are used for black and brown colors, logwood and jujube for red and orange colors, maple and boxtree for yellow and cream colors, alder and sycamore for green and orange colors.
-Types of metals: silver, gold, brass, copper and aluminum
-Types of bones: elephant bone and ivory, camel bone, horse bone
Oysters: to create a glossy white color
-Special adhesives

 

Quality criteria for Khatam-kari products
Uniformity of colors and materials used in making the inlay
No change in color and shape over time
Restorations and patties are Unnoticeable in the final surface of work
Symmetry of all shapes at the work surface and angles and sides
The smaller the patterns and triangles, the higher the quality and value of the work
Proper coverage by protective layers against moisture and also to polishing the work