On zardozi, and the hands that do it

The work

Zardozi is metal thread laid onto silk and couched, stitch by stitch.

A dense bridal panel is not measured in hours. It is measured in weeks, and in the eyesight of the person doing it — which is why the good karigars are old, and why there are fewer of them every year.

Why it costs what it costs

Because someone sat with it for three months.