The art of decorating metal with enameling is known as Meenakari in India which was introduced by the Mughals. Raja Man Singh of Amber brought this art Meenakari to Rajasthan. He invited skillful minakars from the Mughal palace at Lahore and established them in Jaipur, which became the center of Meenakari later on in India. Meenakari design needs a high degree of skill and techniques. Colours like red, green and white, dominate the art of enameling. Nathdwara, Bikaner and Udaipur are also famous for their silver meenakari. Pratapgarh is known for glass enamelling. Delhi and Varanasi are also important centers for meenakari designs.

Fine Art of Meenakari
The enamel workers are called meenakar, and the work is known as meenakari. In some work, the entire object, such as pendant, is covered with this technique. On a typical pair of kara bangles with three-dimensional makara, elephant, lion or bird head terminals, additionally decorated with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, as they often were, is a dazzlingly opulent object that embodies a galaxy of goldsmith arts. A special type is ek rang khula mina,in which a single-color transparent enamel fills all engraved area, leaving gold outlines exposed around figural details. Pachrangi mina (five-colour enamel) is aspecial multicoloured style of enameling. The five colours used are safed (opaque white), fakhtai (opaque light blue) from fakhta (a dove), khula nila (transparent dark blue), khula sabz (transparent green), khula lal (transparent red).

Procedure of making Meenakari
Design is made on the metal surface by the craftsmen called chitras. The design is engraved by the gharias such that depressions are created. If gold is used, then precious stones are set on it by kundansaz. Then it goes to the meenakar for enameling. The piece of metal on which meenakari is to be done is fixed on a lac stick. The base is first covered by white or pink enamel, upon which different colours are applied in order of their hardness. It is then heated to enhance the richness of the colours. Gulabi mina (pink enamel) is derived from gulab (rose) which has been popularly associated with the Varanasi enameling style. It includes areas of painted enamel, generally flowers, executed in translucent pink on an opaque white ground. All other enameled areas on the object are created in the champleve style, which makes this a mixed style of enameling. The technique requires at least five separate enamel applications.

When a single transparent coloured enamel is used to fill the ground around an opaque figure, various colour of ground like lal zamin (transparent red ground), sabz zamin (transparent green ground), nil zamin (transparent blue ground) are chosen to contrast with and set off that of the subject. Bandh mina khaka (opaque cartouche or outline ) is a technique in which the figure in transparent colour is surrounded by an opaque enamel cartouche. The object when ready is polished and cleaned. Generally hand burnishes are used to cover any exposed metal.

Both Silver and Gold can be used as a base for meenakari. A limited number of colors, like gold, blue, green and yellow, stick to silver, whereas all available colors can be applied to gold, making it the preferred medium of enamellers.