What does korvai mean on a Kanjivaram?

Korvai is the technique of weaving the border in a different colour from the body and interlocking the two by hand, thread by thread, on the loom. It needs two weavers working the same loom in step. A powerloom copy prints or attaches the border instead, and the join will be flat rather than ridged.

Is the zari real silver?

Yes. This piece uses half-fine zari — a silver thread that is 57% pure silver, electroplated with gold and wound on a silk core. We publish the assay on the tag. Tested zari is what separates a Kanjivaram that holds value from one that tarnishes black in five years.

How heavy is it to wear?

At 780 grams this is a mid-weight bridal Kanjivaram. It carries its weight in the pallu and border, so it drapes and holds pleats well, but it is a piece for an occasion rather than a long working day.

Kanjivaram · Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

Kanchi Emerald Korvai Kanjivaram

Name: Kanchi Emerald Korvai Kanjivaram
Brand: NY Label
SKU: NYL-KKV-EME-FR
Availability: InStock

₹34,500₹39,000Save 12%

Inclusive of all taxes

Pure mulberry silk with a hand-joined korvai border.

ColourEmerald

One length

6.3 m × 1.15 m, unstitched. A matching blouse piece is attached.

Only 3 left on the shelf in Emerald.

Free shipping on orders over ₹2,500
Fall stitched and edges picoed, free on every silk
14-day returns — unworn, with the fall unstitched
Dispatched within two working days

Description+

A pure mulberry silk Kanjivaram in deep emerald, with a contrast antique-gold border joined to the body by hand in the korvai method — run a thumbnail along the join and you can feel the interlock where two warps meet.

The pallu carries a brocaded rudraksham and temple-tower motif in half-fine zari. Woven on a pit loom in Kanchipuram over twenty-one days.

The piece+

Length: 6.3 m × 1.15 m
Border: Contrast antique-gold korvai border, 5 inches
Pallu: Brocaded rudraksham and temple tower, 32 inches
Zari: Half-fine zari — 57% silver, gold-dipped
Weight: 780 g
Blouse piece: Attached
Weaver: Murugan & sons, Kanchipuram

Fabric & make+

Pure mulberry silk, half-fine zari (57% silver, gold-dipped)

Care+

Dry clean only. Store folded in a cotton or muslin wrap and refold along a different line every three months so the zari does not crack.

Shipping & returns+

Orders are dispatched within two working days and delivered across India in three to six. Shipping is free over ₹2,500, otherwise ₹99. Returns are free within 14 days of delivery, provided the saree is unworn, the fall is unstitched and the tags are attached.

Questions

About the Kanchi Emerald Korvai Kanjivaram

What does korvai mean on a Kanjivaram?: Korvai is the technique of weaving the border in a different colour from the body and interlocking the two by hand, thread by thread, on the loom. It needs two weavers working the same loom in step. A powerloom copy prints or attaches the border instead, and the join will be flat rather than ridged.
Is the zari real silver?: Yes. This piece uses half-fine zari — a silver thread that is 57% pure silver, electroplated with gold and wound on a silk core. We publish the assay on the tag. Tested zari is what separates a Kanjivaram that holds value from one that tarnishes black in five years.
How heavy is it to wear?: At 780 grams this is a mid-weight bridal Kanjivaram. It carries its weight in the pallu and border, so it drapes and holds pleats well, but it is a piece for an occasion rather than a long working day.