Costing of a Typical Handloom Kanjivaram Saree

Weavers ( piecework)                                                              :                2500 x 10 = 25000 Rs.

Zari Mark for Sarees 10 Sarees Warp                                      :               1200 x 30 = 36000 Rs.  ( Price of one Mark: 1200 Rs.)

Zari Mark for Sarees Weft                                                       :                1200 x 10 = 12000 Rs. 

Design & Punching Cards                                                       :                13000+2000 = 15000 Rs

( 240 Hooks each on Border, 

Pallu, 2 x Body: total 4 Jacquards) 

Silk for Body 10 Sarees  (18-20 denier 2 ply)                       :                 2 kg x 6000  = 12000 Rs.

Silk For Border 10 Sarees                                                      :                 1 kg x 6000  = 6000 Rs. 

Dyeing                                                                                    :                                        = 1500 Rs. 

Total                                                                                        :                  1,07,500

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All About Zari in Kanjivaram Sarees

These are the following qualities of zari used in Kanjivaram  and Varanasi Sarees. First lets understand some terms related to zari:

1 Mark: 4 spools with net weight of 240 grams ( Total weight comes out to be 311 grams). One spool contains 2800 to 3000 yards length.  

1. Tested or Plastic Zari or Metallic Zari

This type of zari is purely artificial in which fused plastic is coated with metal like aluminum. This metallized sheet is dyed in various colors 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. Used in the lowest qualities of Varanasi sarees specially in Dupions. Normally price is about 250 to 300 Rs. per mark. 

2. German Silver Zari

This is also used in the low cost Kanjivaram sarees. Generally it is 30 D zari. Here the core is polyester, with 0.2%-0.3%  ( 2 to 3 grams/kg of copper)  silver wrapped on copper . Normally price is around 720 Rs. per mark. 

3. German Silk Fast Zari

This is generally used in the medium price Kanjivaram Sarees. Generally the denier is about 30. Here the core is pure silk, with 0.2%-0.3%  ( 2 to 3 grams/kg of copper)  silver wrapped on copper . Normally price is around 1200 Rs. per mark. 

4. Half Fine Zari

This is generally used in the premium Kanjivaram Sarees. The gold content is about 0.01% (1gm) to 0.02%(2gm) per kg of copper. The Silk yarn is used in the core. The price is between 1800 -2200 Rs.  per mark. 

5. Pure Zari

It is made only on order Silk yarn is used as core, over that silver and than plated with gold. In one of the test reports, the following were the results: Gold 0.13, Silver: 18.42 and copper 56.61. 

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