Collector guide · 6 min
Identifying khatam from printed imitation
Editorial team · updated 2026-07-30
Look at the edges
Constructed khatam is a sheet with thickness: at an edge or an inner corner, the rod ends show in section and the pattern continues through the material. A printed film stops at the surface and usually meets the edge in a clean line.
Use magnification
Under a loupe, bone elements show fine porosity and slight colour variation. Plastic substitutes are uniform. Brass wire reads as metal, with a different reflectance from a printed yellow line.
Read the repeat
Sheets cut from one block repeat exactly, but adjoining sheets are hand-laid, so joins show small alignment shifts. A print repeats with mechanical regularity across the whole surface, joins included.