Inside Rajasthan’s hidden studios

Avaz Mohammed claims he made the first lac button in 1968; “then everyone copied it”. The 74-year-old father of four girls, two boys, and a black cat that races around the house faster than his grandchildren with their handhelds, has worked with designer Rina Dhaka, while his son with Manish Malhotra. His designs and colourways go beyond the Jaipur market and have a contemporary appeal: a bangle with one end twisted into a snake head; a speckled choker, primary colours mixed into a black base; beads twined into balls or fashioned into barrel shapes.