UzbekAlive owes its beginning to hand painted lacquer boxes made of papier-mâché .
The inspiration came around 2000 from Koshib Omonov, Uzbek artist of lacquer painting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The first version of UzbekAlive website was entirely devoted to lacquer hand painted boxes. Slowly we expanded into ikat fabrics, ikat pillow covers, silk scarves and other cultural treasures Uzbekistan offers.
Over the years these jewelry boxes have touched many hearts around the world. We have customers who ordered such hand painted jewelry boxes as gifts for their bridesmaids – an artist customized jewelry boxes by writing names of a newlywed couple on the backside of a lid. People in love used our jewelry boxes to propose to their loved ones. Fathers bought our jewelry boxes for their teenage daughters as their first jewelry box. Whatever the occasion these jewelry boxes win hearts with their beauty and intricate details of painting and make unique and unforgettable gifts.
Art by Koshib Omonov is also presented in Hand Painted Barrettes category.
Amulet ikat pattern white, black and yellow table runner
An amulet is a charm that protects a wearer of the amulet from negative energy. Be it a myth or a truth one thing is certain - human brain in itself is a powerful protection mechanism. If one believes that amulets protect them, then amulets really protect them.
Amulet pendants were made from silver and adorned with precious and semi-precious stones. Men were jewelers who made amulets but it was women who wore them. The details of the amulets could tell a lot about a woman's status - a tribe she belonged to, whether she was a young girl or a mature woman. Here is an example of an amulet from 19th century from Karakalpanistan.
Photo credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art. 
This is an amulet pattern ikat table runner in beautifully contrasting colors of white and black with a pinch of yellow. Such amulets were made with a hollow space inside which was openable, so, that a protection sura from Koram could be placed inside the amulet.
This ikat table runner is not restricted to any holiday or theme. The yellow and black color scheme could make this ikat table runner a perfect decor for autumn dinners.
Ikat fabric: hand-dyed and handloom woven ikat fabric from Uzbekistan. This fabric is referred to in Uzbekistan as adras. It is made of approximately 50% silk and 50% cotton. This fabric is a true artisanal handloom woven product, NOT a print. The fabric carries the warmth and energy of ikat artisans who, by the way, are the 9th generation of ikat artisans.
Back fabric: natural cotton fabric.
Both front and back fabrics were entirely made in Uzbekistan using locally cultivated silk and locally grown cotton.
The ikat fabric used for this ikat table runner is a real ikat. This is not a print. If you are curious about a difference between real handwoven ikats and printed ikats, please read our blog post on this topic.
Caring: the ikat table runner is hand washable in cold water with a mild detergent.
