How do accessories make from Bones | Bone craving craft | India, Lucknow

The art of bone carving goes back to prehistoric times, when each & every part of the hunted animal was used & it was believed that a part of the departed soul stays with them forever. Bones were used for making ornaments & utility articles. Some notable prehistoric art figurines like Venus figurine, swimming reindeer were made of bones and ivory. Elements of prehistoric times suggesting excessive use of bone as a raw material for making weapons, beads, combs and other unusual artifacts have been found all over the world. Utility was often merged with unique selfexpression to create objects.

The craft began with making beautiful boxes to keep presents and jewels in and has diversified into many more areas due to durability of the material and fine craftsmanship of the artisans. Among other products made in bone carving are Lamps, Jewelry, Jewelry boxes, pens, hair pins, Brooches, frames, paper knives etc. With design intervention, the product range has expanded further to Wall Clocks, Pen drive cases, Knife cases, accessories for women, coasters etc. Due to its increasing popularity and demand, artisans of other states like Rajasthan, Odissa, Kerala, Kolkata & Delhi also took to it at one point of time. Bone carving has a history in other parts of the world too.


The craft is being practiced in Lucknow & Barabanki since many ages. It is a beautiful but rarely talked about in Indian context. Many expert carvers have won State & National awards for their fine work. These small roofs of Barabanki hold several valuable mentions. A domain mainly of the Muslim community, this craft was also taken up by a few Hindu groups gradually.