Intricately designed and colourful lac bangles are extremely popular among women. These bangles, which have a touch of class and richness, are worn by married women as they are considered a sign of good omen. But they are popular on all occasions.

To make these bangles, two types of crystals are heated in an iron vessel. Meanwhile, stone powder is filtered and added to the melted crystals and stirred until the liquid thickens. The lac pieces that are formed are stuck to a rod and heated. When these lac pieces are in a semi-molten state, desired colours are added to this mixture. This coloured lac is applied around a cylindrical rod. The rod is flattened to the desired thickness with the help of a flat wooden instrument. It is then cut to the size of a bangle and stuck around hot metal pieces. Then the bangles are slipped into a round wooden tool and rolled over to give them a proper shape. Then semi-precious stones are stuck to these bangles. It takes the artisans, mostly women, eight days to set these stones on one set of bangles. The bangles are then heated again and immediately dipped into cold water to set the stones properly. These bangles are then sold in the markets.    

These images are from Pandol and Sarsab Pahi village in Madhubani district in Bihar.

Pic credit: Jigyasa Mishra