KHATAM BONBON DISH, JEWELRY BOX
This khatam bonbon dish is one of the most versatile pieces in our collection: a lidded box that serves sweets at the tea table one day and keeps jewellery safe the next. Pieces of metal and wood are beautifully laid over the wooden surface, and each one is made by an artisan based in Persian Heritage. It comes in three sizes.
- Size: Small: 16.5 x 16.5 x 9 cm
- Medium: 18.5 x 18.5 x 9 cm
- Large: 22 x 22 x 9 cm
- Material: Wood and Brass
Khatam is an ancient Persian technique of inlaying. It is a version of marquetry in which artisans decorate the surface of wooden articles with delicate pieces of wood, bone and metal, precisely cut into intricate geometric patterns.
KHATAM DISH
To create a khatam dish, skilled artisans start by selecting a wooden base. The base is covered with a layer of glue and a thin sheet of bone is set onto the surface, then cut into small pieces of various shapes and arranged in intricate geometric patterns. Alongside bone, the technique uses metals such as brass, copper and silver, each cut and placed to build the design.
Once the pattern is complete, the dish is sanded and polished to a smooth surface that shows off the inlay, and it may be coated with a protective layer of lacquer to preserve the design.
As a persian candy dish it is a graceful way to serve noghl, gaz or chocolates with tea, and it earns its place on the Nowruz table every spring. The intricate patterns also make it a lovely decorative piece in a living or dining room. If you prefer the same idea in metal, see the Khatam on Copper Bon Bon Dish, or browse more designs in our Persian jewellery box collection.
