Persia is where the word originated. Zari (or Jari) is an even thread traditionally made of fine gold or silver, used especially as brocade in textiles. This thread is woven into fabrics, primarily made of silk to create intricate patterns. It is believed that this tradition started during the Mughal era and the Surat port being linked to the Haj pilgrims and Indians was a major factor for introducing this craft in India. During the Vedic ages, zari was associated with the grand attire of gods, kings and literary figures. Today, in most fabrics, zari is not made of real gold and silver, but has cotton or polyester yarn at its core, wrapped by golden/silver metallic yarn. Zari is basically a brocade of tinsel thread meant for weaving and embroidery. It is manufactured by winding or wrapping (covering) a flattened metallic strip made from pure gold, silver or slitted metallised polyester film, on a core yarn, usually of pure silk, viscose, cotton, nylon, polyester, P.P., mono/multi filament, wire, etc.
Nowadays, it can broadly be divided into three types. Real zari, imitation zari, and metallic zari.
Real Zari is made from fine silver or gold thread drawn from silver or gold alloys, which is flattened by passing it through equal pressure rotating rollers. The flattened silver threads are wound on the base yarn that is usually made of silk. These spools with silk and silver threads are further flattened for electroplating. The threads are then plated with gold by the process of electroplating. The lustre of the gilded threads is further increased by passing them through a brightener. These threads are then wound on a reel. In ancient times, when precious metals were cheaply and easily available, only real zari threads were produced. Due to industrial revolution and invention of electroplating process, imitation techniques came into existence to cut the cost of precious metals. As copper is the most malleable and ductile metal after gold and silver, silver electroplated copper wire replaced pure silver. Various modern colours and chemicals are used to create/impart a golden hue instead of pure gold. Precious metals and copper too became dearer due to huge demand in various modern industries.
Thus, a cheap and durable alternative was invented with non-tarnishing properties. Metallic zari came into vogue replacing traditional metals like gold, silver and copper. This non-genuine modern zari is light in weight and more durable than earlier editions. Also, it has the sought after properties of resistance to tarnishing and knotting.
Imitation zari is made when copper wires are drawn from copper alloys. It then undergoes a similar process, except in this case, they are electroplated with silver and then wound around the base yarn, and reeled. This type of zari is less expensive than pure zari, as silver electroplated copper is more economical.
Metallic zari is a modernized version of zari and it replaces traditional metals like gold, silver and copper. It is resistant, durable and light in weight. It is non-tarnishing and maintains its lustre for a considerable period of time. Pure zari is when there is only gold and silver content in the zari and no other metal (like white metal, copper etc). To qualify as pure, the gold Content has to be a minimum of 3gms. Zari with no copper but with less than 3gm gold is often referred to as “fine” zari. Zari with copper and silver and no gold is called Tested zari. There are alloys with gold but not pure gold which are called “touch” zaris. Kanchipuram has a Tamilnadu government approved certification process for zari. Even the best zaris are silver dipped in gold. Nowhere these days will you find 100% gold. 3gm gold mixed with balance silver is when it is called pure zari. This is how the government authorised agencies certify the zari quality and content.
Tested zari is not plastic. It is an alloy of silver with copper and silver used with silver comprising 67% of filament. Tested is the next best zari after the pure variety and is only made by few firms.
Plastic zari is a whole different category. This is used largely in power loom and Surat goods. It has a yellowish or whitish tinge and you can be assured of shrinkage on ironing. This type of zari is purely artificial in which fused plastic is coated with metal like aluminium. This metallized sheet is dyed in various colours according to the requirements and converted into thin tapes, which are finally wound on a core of polyester, viscose or nylon to make the final product.
Banaras uses a lot more variants. Nimzari, Cotton zari, Reshmi zari amongst others. Zari is used in various forms of embroidery such as Zardozi (zar = gold, dozi = work), Danka, Dabka, Karchobi, Kataoki Bel, Kalabatan, Mukaish, Tilla, Gota and Kinari Work. In Lucknow, the raw material to make original Zardozi threads is an alloy of gold and silver. This delicate alloy wire is made by melting ingots that are pressed through perforated steel sheets. They are further flattened by
hammering and then converted into wires. Once out of the furnace, these wires are twisted around silk threads to form the thicker, spring-like Zardozi thread. This springy quality of thread called “Dabka” is credited as a Lucknow specialty. It is often combined with sequins, glass and plastic beads. Lucknow Zardozi in itself is a variety of Zardozi that differs from the other forms of embroidery that bear the same name, done in other cities. Its opulent Mughal influences, for instance, differ from the Tamil influences of Zardozi done in Chennai.
Test to identify a pure zari sari: Look for the loose end of zari in the sari. Pure zari is made of red silk thread that is twisted with a silver thread and then dipped in 22K pure gold. If upon pulling the zari, you find that the silk thread is not red but white or any other colour, you can be pretty certain that the sari that you are buying is not a pure zari sari.
