Hand embroidery price in Mumbai.

Hand embroidery is priced by labour hours, not by the garment. Two blouses of the same size can differ fourfold in cost because one has a thin outline motif and the other has a densely filled yoke. Anyone who quotes you a flat per-piece rate before seeing the design is either guessing or planning to revise it later.

We quote from the design, the base fabric and the finish you want. Once that quotation is agreed, it does not move unless you change the brief.

Understanding these lets you control the cost rather than just receive it.

• Coverage — how much of the surface carries thread. This is the single biggest factor. An outlined motif may take hours; the same motif filled solid can take days.
• Technique — aari hook work covers ground faster than hand needle work. Zardozi with dabka, nakshi and kora is slower again because each element is placed individually.
• Materials — real metal zari, hand-set stones, crystals, sequins and cutdana carry a material cost on top of labour. Silk thread on cotton is the economical end.
• Base fabric — delicate grounds such as organza, net and tissue need a lighter hand, backing, and slower work. The same design costs more on organza than on raw silk.
• Deadline — normal scheduling costs what it costs. Compressing a three-week piece into eight days means more hands on one frame, and that is reflected honestly in the quote.

We will not print a rate card, because a rate card is how customers end up with surprise revisions. What we can tell you is the relative order, lowest to highest, so you know roughly where your piece falls before you enquire.

• Entry — a simple monogram, a small logo, a light sleeve or neckline motif.
• Moderate — a blouse neckline and sleeves in aari or thread work, a dupatta border, a kurti yoke.
• Substantial — a saree pallu, an all-over kurti, a jacket front, a heavily worked blouse.
• Premium — bridal lehenga panels, dense zardozi, hand-set stone and crystal work, full trousseau sets.
• Bulk — per-piece cost falls as quantity rises, because the design is set up once and repeated against a locked master sample.

Send us four things on WhatsApp and you will have a genuine quotation the same working day. Not a range, not a callback, an actual number.

Guessing costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. Most people are surprised that the answer arrives in hours rather than days.

• A photo or sketch of the design you want
• A photo of the garment or fabric it goes on
• The quantity — one piece or a production run
• The date you need it in your hands

If a design is not worth what it would cost to execute, we say so. If a cheaper technique would give you ninety per cent of the look, we will suggest it. If your deadline is not realistic, you will hear that before you pay, not after.

There are no consultation charges, no design fees for a straightforward brief, and no charge for advising you that a piece is beyond sensible economics. A customer who was told the truth comes back; one who was upsold does not.