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Sandalwood (Santalum album) is a small evergreen tree found allover the higher tracts of southern India. It is the most popular and expensive of all woods. It is engraved, inlaid or veneered, and shaped into a variety of ornate articles. The wood is not only used for  carving and engraving, but also for making incense and perfume.

The carvers, known as gudigars in South  India, start their work either  by drawing a pattern that is to be engraved on the smooth and whitewashed surface of the sandalwood, or on a piece of  paper pasted over its surface. Then the outlines are engraved in minute detail, by cutting away the interspaces, thus leaving the pattern in low relief.

Because of its precious value, gold has always evoked fascination. Its magic luster has been imbibed with auspiciousness. Every woman in India, regardless of the social strata or region she comes from, is desirous of ornamenting herself with golden ear-rings or nose-rings, armlets, wristlets, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, hairpins or other ornaments. The creative skills of traditional goldsmiths had no limits; ornaments are created in  fine filigree  work inOrissa or Andhra Pradesh; or heavy and richly worked ornaments from Gujarat and Rajasthan, or a rare work of art may be done in Pratabgrah in Rajasthan, wherein an effect of enamelling is achieved by fusing coloured substances onto gold (or other precious metals); and in the south a whole gamut of temple jewellery is created.

In earlier times, Indian fabrics were dyed in natural dyes extracted from indigo leaves, al and turmeric roots, pomegranate skin, Katechu, lac, iron-rust, and the like. Around 1870, European chemical factories successes in synthesizing these natural substances causing great harm to these branches of handicrafts in India. However, with synthetic dyes it was impossible to achieve the brilliant luster for which the textiles from India were appreciated all  over the  world,  since natural dyes penetrated the fabric completely via a lengthy process of beating, washing and sun-drying.

Because of its brilliant colours, lac, since very ancient times was considered the most suitable material for personal ornamentation for rural people. Most important is the manufacture of thin bracelets for rural girls and women all over India.
 
Lac is basically a resinous incrustation formed on the bark of twigs of certain trees (kusum or pipal trees) through the action of the lac insect. After being impregnated, the female insect encrusts around itself a resinous excretion and then develops a brilliant red colour.
 
Lac is available as dye in pure form or mixed with sulphur and formed into sticks called batti which are them used by lathe-turners.

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