The base of the Jamawar is mostly Resham silk thread. Most of the designs seen today are floral, with the kairi (paisley) as the predominant motif. Traders introduced this Chinese silk cloth to India, mainly from Samarkand and Bukhara and it gained immense popularity among the royalty and the aristocracy. Due to its rich and fine raw materials, the rich and powerful merchants used Jamawar. Emperor Akbar was one of its greatest patrons. One of the main reasons for the diversity in the designs of the Jamawar cloth was the migratory nature of its weavers. Ideas from almost all parts of the world influenced these designs. Efforts to revive this art have also been made by bringing in innovations like the creation of Jamawar saris by craftsmen in Varanasi. Each sari is a shimmering tapestry of intricate design, in colours that range from the traditionally deep, rich shades to delicate pastels. A minimum of four months of patient effort goes into the creation of each Jamawar sari. The saris are made of finely woven silk and are decorated with intricate design, and, because of these engravings, are relatively heavy.
Their special characteristics are Mughal inspired designs such as intricate intertwining floral and foliate motifs, Kalga and Bel, a string of upright leaves called Jhallar at the outer edge of border is a characteristic of these saris. Other features are gold work, compact weaving, figures with small details, metallic visual effects, pallus, jal (a net like pattern), and mina work. The saris are often part of an Indian bride's trousseau
The design in Jamawar is completely woven into the fabric, kind of like a tapestry weave Banarasi; designs are worked into silk cloth, they aren’t completely incorporated into the fabric, so if u look at the back of the fabric, u will see some loose threads and threads jumping from one design motif to the next.
