lacquer wood

Rooted in the lanes of Banaras, lacquer craft began as a way of giving discarded and off-cut wood new purpose — turned on hand-operated lathes, shaped, and coated in vibrant, glossy colour through a technique passed down through generations of artisan families. Craftsmen worked with sticks of dyed lac, pressed and melted onto spinning wood by friction alone, no machinery, just hand, heat, and rhythm.

More than decoration, lacquerware became a way of transforming the ordinary — toys, beads, and small objects turned into things of colour and permanence, each piece shaped entirely by touch and eye rather than mould or measure. It remained, for centuries, a craft of resourcefulness — nothing wasted, everything reshaped.

At Caeli, we've brought this craft into our own designs — small batches of hand-lacquered buttons and accessories, each motif shaped from the same wood-turning tradition of Banaras. No two pieces are quite identical, no two grains quite the same, carrying forward a centuries-old craft into something worn close, everyday, and new.