Reviving Indian Handicrafts: A Renaissance in Home Décor
BRASS IS A FEELING: ON STYLING WITH A LIVING METAL
In Indian homes, brass is less of a design choice and more of a presence. It occupies spaces not with flash, but with a kind of soft insistence — catching the light, carrying ritual, and marking memory.
At Sapphire Rose, we approach brass not as an accessory, but as a material of memory. It has weight, it has history, and it has a way of grounding contemporary homes with an ancestral voice — quiet, steady, enduring.
A METAL WOVEN THROUGH RITUAL
The story of brass in the Indian subcontinent goes back centuries. As early as the 3rd century BCE, brass was used in the Indo-Greek and Mauryan periods for ritual tools, utensils, and lamps. By the Gupta era (4th–6th century CE), it had spread across temple towns and household kitchens alike — used for puja deepams, lotas, bells, and statues.
Unlike silver, which carries coolness, or copper, which is highly reactive, brass became the material of balance. It was believed to retain energy, absorb sound, and conduct intention — which is why even today, it features in temples, ancestral homes, and sacred corners.
In southern India, brass is cast into kuthuvilakkus and deepa stambhas. In western India, it forms intricate kunds and oil lamps. And in tribal belts like Bastar in Chhattisgarh, it is shaped into figurines that reflect both utility and folklore.
A PATINA THAT SPEAKS
One of the most compelling reasons we curate vintage brass is its ability to age well. Time leaves its mark — not as wear, but as character. The more it’s handled, the more the surface evolves: deepening, darkening, warming.
Unlike plated decor or factory-made sheen, true brass carries the thumbprints of past lives. A slight dent in a urli. A green tinge around the base of a diya. These aren’t flaws — they are evidence of use, of reverence, of place.
At Sapphire Rose, we avoid over-polishing. A light restoration is done to stabilize, not to erase. The integrity of the piece is in what it’s carried, not just how it looks.
STYLING BRASS IN A CONTEMPORARY HOME
Brass works best when it’s allowed to breathe.
- Start small: Place a solitary brass diya on a low shelf or beside a stack of books.
- Layer textures: Surround brass with linen, unfinished wood, or natural stone. The contrast grounds the glow.
- Let light do the work: Position a urli where it catches morning light, or a figurine near a soft lamplight in the evening.
- Pair with quietness: Don’t overwhelm brass with metallic clutter. Let it stand with dignity.
In Indian homes, it’s common to see a single brass object used daily — not styled, not staged, just present. That simplicity is where its strength lies.
BRASS AS CONTINUITY
For many, brass is not about beauty — it is about continuity. A diya handed down, a bell that’s rung for generations, a vessel used in rituals long before anyone named them as such.
To bring brass into your space is to align with something older than design trends. It’s to acknowledge that some materials carry emotion, not just function.
We offer brass pieces not to decorate, but to invite stillness — the kind that sits quietly in the room and gathers light across years.
In a time when surfaces are often too smooth, too fast, too new, brass reminds us that the truest elegance is textured. And earned.
