Cut to your measurements by a weaver whose name we know, shipped duties-paid where we can, re-tailored for life on every piece we stitch. Worn unworn? Thirty days to return.
Embroidery · Lucknow craft compared
Both crafts come out of Lucknow. Both have been worked for centuries by the same families. They could not be more different in feel. Chikankari is white cotton thread on fine lawn or georgette — daytime, breathable, almost monastic. Zardozi is real gold-coated metal thread on silk or velvet — bridal, ceremonial, deliberately heavy. We commission both from Lucknow karigars and we treat them as separate registers, not interchangeable embroideries.
Subject A · Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Hand-stitched white thread on cotton, mulmul, or georgette.
A 17th-century white-on-white hand embroidery from Lucknow. Karigars use 36 named stitches — bakhiya, phanda, jali — on fine cotton mulmul or sheer georgette. The motifs are floral, paisley, vine. A single chikankari kurta takes 60 to 200 hours of stitching. Best for daytime — mehendi, haldi, Eid morning, summer weddings.
Browse chikankari pieces →Subject B · Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (also Delhi, Bhopal)
Gold-thread embroidery with real metal coil and seed pearls.
Mughal-court metal-thread embroidery. Karigars work with real silver-gilt wire — kalabattu — over a velvet or silk base, laid stitch by stitch using a hook. A single zardozi bridal lehenga hem takes 400 to 800 hours of work. Best for bridal, reception, and the most photographed events of a wedding week.
Browse zardozi pieces →Side by side
Technique
Chikankari
Hand-stitched white cotton thread on fine cotton or georgette. 36 named stitches.
Zardozi
Hand-laid silver-gilt metal thread with hook needles. Often combined with seed pearls, sequins, and kundan.
Visual weight
Chikankari
Quiet. White-on-white or pastel-on-white. Reads from arm's length.
Zardozi
Loud. Reflects light. Reads across the room.
Garment fit
Chikankari
Anarkali, kurta set, summer saree, sheer dupatta.
Zardozi
Bridal lehenga, sherwani, blouse, formal saree pallu.
Best occasion
Chikankari
Mehendi, haldi, Eid, summer outdoor weddings, daytime functions.
Zardozi
Wedding day, reception, engagement, formal sangeet.
Price range (AUD)
Chikankari
From $550 for an anarkali. Heirloom: $1,800+ for hand-jali work.
Zardozi
From $1,800 for a zardozi blouse. Bridal: $2,500–$8,000+.
Care
Chikankari
Gentle hand-wash in cold water for white cotton. Dry-clean for georgette.
Zardozi
Dry-clean only, with a zardozi-aware cleaner. Store flat — never on a hanger.
Weaver story
Chikankari
Many chikankari karigars are women working from home in Lucknow's old quarters. We work directly through SEWA Lucknow cooperatives.
Zardozi
Zardozi is traditionally a men's craft, learned through ustad-shagird apprenticeship. Our karigars trained for 7+ years before laying their first hem.
Which to pick — Ketki's verdict
If the function is daytime and the photography is candid — mehendi, haldi, a brunch sangeet, an Eid morning — choose chikankari. The piece breathes, the white-on-white reads quietly, and you will be cool through six hours of ritual. If the function is photographed for the album — bridal, reception, formal engagement — choose zardozi. The light it throws back is the point of the piece. The mistake we see most often is brides being talked into a zardozi for the mehendi (it cooks them) or a chikankari for the reception (it reads as a daywear). Both are heirloom crafts. They are not interchangeable. Match them to the event, not to whichever you saw first on Pinterest.
Still unsure? Message us on WhatsApp before you commit — we have walked this comparison with hundreds of customers and we are unsentimental about which one your week needs.
Compared elsewhere in the atelier