Lacquer boxes are used for storing jewellery or bindi (the red powder that Indian ladies apply to the forehead - signifying the third eye). Lacquering is done by the craftsman on a hand powered lathe. The wooden pot is spun and a lac stick. pressed against the pot. As the pot spins friction softens the lac which coats the surface of the wood. Quite intricate designs can be created by the craftsman using different techniques. Our lacquer boxes come from Rajasthan, Sind and Himachal Pradesh.
