What to look for in khatam inlay

Look closely at the pattern

Real khatam is built from tiny triangles of wood, bone and metal assembled into rods and sliced. Under a magnifier you should see separate pieces, with small variations.

Common imitations

Printed paper or plastic laminates look perfect and flat. They often repeat without any piece-to-piece variation.

• Separate tiny pieces: consistent with real khatam
• Printed dots with no joins: imitation
• Plastic sheen and no bone or metal: imitation

Origin

Most khatam comes from Shiraz and Isfahan workshops. A seller's origin claim still needs checking, since similar work is made elsewhere.