Gentle Black Pure Handloom Maheshwari Silk Saree, Copper Panelled Borders | Sangam

A matte black body under wide bands of copper, with small buti across the field.

Why this piece

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  Copper, not gold — the border bands read copper and brown against the black rather than yellow metal, which is what makes this piece look different from every other black.


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  A matte ground — the black is worked flat rather than lustrous, so the banding does all the work at the edge.


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  Small buti allover — the figures repeat sparsely across the whole field, dobby-set on the loom as the cloth is woven.

The colourway

Black with copper is a quieter and more modern combination than black with gold, and the matte finish of the ground is what lets it work. Wide panelled bands rather than a fine line give the drape its structure.

How it is woven

It comes off a loom in Mominpura, the weaving quarter inside Maheshwar. Woven on a pit loom with the weft inserted by hand. The buti scattered over the body and the figures in the border are dobby-set on the loom itself, on body, border and pallu.

Small irregularities in the weave come with the method — a slub, a slightly uneven pick. They are the fingerprint of a hand-inserted weft, not a fault in a finished piece.

The border, and how it wears

The border is a bugdi border: the woven border design reads the same on both faces. Turn the edge over at the fall and the figures come up the same way.

350 to 360 g of cloth at 44 to 46 GSM. It falls close to the body, takes a deep pleat and keeps it, and reads semi-sheer through the body — a petticoat is part of wearing it.

Specification

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  Total length: 6.3–6.5 m, including an 80–90 cm blouse piece


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  Width: 45–46 inches


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  Weight: 350–360 g, measured in-house


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  Fabric weight: 44–46 GSM


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  Body: semi-sheer; wear it with a petticoat


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  Drape: soft, holds its pleats, and stays soft after the first clean


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  Loom: pit loom, with the weft inserted by hand


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  Patterning: dobby-set, on body, border and pallu


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  Finishing: pallu kuchu, selvedge and edges finished; fall and pico on request


• 
  Woven in: Maheshwar, Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh


• 
  Country of origin: India


• 
  Net quantity: one saree with attached blouse piece


• 
  Care: Dry Clean Only

Care and storage

1. Professional dry clean only. Home washing is not recommended.


2. Air-dry in the shade, without wringing.


3. Iron inside out on a low-to-medium setting, under a cotton press cloth.


4. Store it wrapped in breathable cotton or muslin, in a cool dark cupboard.


5. Refold along fresh lines every three to six months.

Dispatch

This piece is held in stock rather than made to order, so hand weaving does not put you in a queue. About half of all orders leave the next day, most go within two to three days, and most orders inside India arrive in three to seven days.

A note on colour

This piece is a matte black, with wide copper-toned borders. Screens, camera settings and the light a photograph was taken in all move a shade a little, so the piece that reaches you may sit slightly away from the image on this page. Every colour in this range has been tested for fastness on wash and rub.

Product details

Country of origin: India. Net quantity: one saree with attached blouse piece. Care: Dry Clean Only.

It comes off a loom in Mominpura, the weaving quarter inside Maheshwar. Pit loom, weft inserted by hand, dobby setting the buti across the body and the bands through the border. Black is where a weaver's hand is most exposed: there is no colour variation to absorb an uneven pick and no second tone to distract from it, so the cloth either reads true or it does not. Keeping the ground matte rather than lustrous takes that further, because a flat surface hides nothing at all. The wide copper bands are then built in beside it. The finished cloth weighs 350 to 360 g at 44 to 46 GSM. The border is bugdi, its woven design reading the same on both faces, and the small irregularities of a hand-inserted weft are the part no machine reproduces.

Exchange: *Easy exchange is available within 3 days of receiving the product.
*No exchanges on home decor items.
*Unboxing video is required.

Return: *Only for damaged/wrong products.
*Unboxing video required.
Learn More

1. What exactly do I receive?
One unstitched Maheshwari silk saree, 6.3 to 6.5 m long including an 80 to 90 cm blouse piece attached to the saree, and 45 to 46 inches wide. The blouse piece is unstitched fabric and its price is already in the price on this page. The measurements are uniform across this weave and are measured in-house, not taken from a supplier sheet.

2. Is the saree stitched, and are fall and pico done?
It is an unstitched drape — you pleat and drape it yourself, or have it pre-pleated locally if you prefer. Fall, pico and edge finishing are not done before dispatch, but we will do them on request before the piece is sent.

3. How do I know it is handwoven and not powerloom?
It is woven on a pit loom with the weft inserted by hand, and the patterning on body, border and pallu is dobby-set on the loom. The Handloom Mark is held on record against these pieces, they are woven by master-weaver households in Mominpura, Maheshwar, and the weaver confirms each piece. Nothing we sell is machine-woven.

4. What is a bugdi border?
Bugdi describes the woven border design reading the same on both faces of the cloth. It is woven into the border on the loom, and you can turn the edge over and see it for yourself.

5. How should I clean and store it?
Professional dry clean only; home washing is not recommended. Air-dry in the shade without wringing. Iron inside out on a low-to-medium setting under a cotton press cloth. Store it wrapped in breathable cotton or muslin in a cool, dark cupboard, and refold it along fresh lines every three to six months so no single crease is held for years.

6. Will the colour bleed on the first clean?
Every colour in this range has been tested for fastness on both wash and rub. That is a test result rather than a reassurance. Dry cleaning remains the instruction.

7. What if the shade that arrives is not the shade on my screen?
Screens and camera settings shift colour, so the black may read a little differently in your own light. If the shade does not match, or you are not satisfied with the quality, we will exchange the piece within the stated window and condition requirements.

8. What is the return and exchange window?
Two days from delivery, and the piece has to be unused, with its tags and its original packaging. Within that window we exchange for a colour mismatch or for dissatisfaction with quality.

9. Is it see-through? What do I wear underneath?
The body is semi-sheer — that is what 44 to 46 GSM and 350 to 360 g of cloth feels like — so it is worn with a petticoat, matched to the body colour or deliberately set against it.

10. Which occasions does it suit?
Festivals, festive family occasions, formal and ethnic dressing, and lighter occasions generally. It also works as wedding and reception wear when you are attending as a guest.

11. What do the motif and border names mean?
Buta and buti are the canonical spellings for the small woven figures scattered across the cloth; the same motif circulates as butta, butti and booti, and they all mean this. The figure here is a flower buti. Zari (also written jari) is the metallic thread worked into the border and the pallu, and a double design border means two parallel border designs run down the edge rather than one. This piece carries small buti allover a matte black field, with wide copper-toned bands at the borders.

12. When will it be dispatched and how does delivery work?
These sarees are held in stock, not made to order. About half of all orders leave the next day, most within two to three days, and most orders inside India arrive in three to seven days. Shipping within India is free, Cash on Delivery is available, and we ship worldwide with international carriage charged on actuals.

13. How long will it last?
Cared for as instructed, this is a piece to keep and to pass on rather than one to wear for a single event. The drape does not stiffen or go slack after the first clean, and the tracked defect and colour-complaint rates on this weave are negligible.

14. The weave looks slightly uneven in places. Is that a defect?
No. A hand-inserted weft leaves small irregularities behind — the occasional slub or an uneven pick — and they are characteristic of hand weaving rather than faults. Every piece is finished at the pallu kuchu, selvedge and edges, and passes a pre-dispatch check before it is packed.