A Sari Fit For A Queen
A silk sari, intricately woven with 12 precious stones and metals replicating eleven of the famous paintings of Raja Ravi Verma, has the record for the world’s most expensive sari.
Chennai Silks, a textile house in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, has woven a sari fit for a queen – one studded with gold, diamonds, emeralds and other precious stones; that costs Rs 40 lakh ($101,000 CDN) and weighs around eight kilograms. This is the first time on record that gems and art have been (put) together to construct a sari.
It took 30 weavers around seven months to make the sari. “The most special thing about the sari is the Ravi Varma paintings which has been woven into it. All the intricate details in the painting have been replicated like the curly hair of the ladies and the jewels they are wearing,” Assistant General Manager of Chennai Silks, K. V. Sriram said. He claims it is the first silk sari manufactured using 7,440 jacquard hooks and 66,794 cards. It was designed by handloom weavers and portrays Ravi Verma’s renowned art work of ‘Lady Musicians’. Gold, ruby, diamond, emerald, platinum, silver, yellow sapphire, sapphire, cat’s eye, topaz, pearl and coral are all incorporated to embellish the women in the designs.
