The more I soak myself in the indescribable beauty of these eggs,

the more I feel at a loss of words, writes Shalinee Bhardwaj

While Humpty Dumpty’s precarious position on the wall led to his much recited ‘great fall’ followed by failed attempts to ‘put him together again’; the renowned fragility of eggs has not stopped this group of ladies in Doha to pursue a hobby that is so close to their hearts. The pure passion of egg crafting inspires these ladies to meet at least once a week for two hours at the Club House of Al Hitmi compound in Mater Kadeem.

Atia Nadeem, who is now spearheading this group along with the highly versatile Usha Gupta informs, “This delicate form of art was practised by some British women as part of recreational activities in QP’s Falcon Club in Doha around thirty years ago. When the beautification of Doha started, this club was brought to a close. Its members also left. For some time, egg crafting was kept on the roll by Peelu Khanna and later by Narjis and Afia who also left Doha for good.”

The legacy finally came into the hands of Atia, who suggested including women outside of QP and thus expand the group. “This was in 2005 and since then many more people have joined in. It’s a fluid group, our number is never stable,” says Atia, “Classes are held regularly where we share and discuss our experiences on this and learn from each other.”

Egg crafting is a popular art primarily in European nations. This was made famous by the exquisite Fabergé eggs, a limited number of eggs crafted by the renowned Russian artist and jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé for the Tsars as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers. These unmatched pieces were made from gold and precious stones.

While I was wondering how such breakable material as egg shells could be crafted into delicate designs, the vividness of their imagination and deftness of their handiwork left me agape when I had a look at their masterpieces!

“This is certainly a very fragile medium to work with. Even though there are specific tools for this, we do break quite a few during the process, if we are not careful enough,” says Usha, “It is an expensive hobby and many people tend to discontinue after a short while.”

“All the material is sourced from the US or UK and ordered from eBay. We work on eggs from goose, emu, ostrich and Rhea. These are sold after draining the yolk and sanitising the whole egg shell. A goose egg shell would cost around QR16 while rhea’s egg may reach up to QR80. A fully crafted egg shell in simple design may cost about QR100 to 150.”

The group is a non profit entity and does not charge any amount for tuition in this craft. “We only take money for the material being used and that too nominal,” informs Atia.

But the price they pay for these eggs is no deterrent to the inspiring nudge that comes straight from their hearts. “Each and every egg that we craft is very close to our being. They are so much a part of our imagination. I cannot part with the egg that I have crafted. I can make another one of the same kind, if asked to, but cannot let go of the first one,” admits Atia passionately, “No two eggs will ever be the same even if they have the same design. Our individuality reflects in our work and that’s the beauty of this art form!”

Usha is more enterprising and likes to share her creations. “These are the best gifts that I can give to my near and dear ones. Apart from its beauty, people just love their delicateness and uniqueness that makes each piece so special. I also sell them as I want people to appreciate and enjoy this exquisite craft”.

Elvina Currie who is the latest entrant in the group has picked up the nitty-gritty of this craft pretty fast. “Here I have found an expression for my creativity. Even if there are online designs available, there’s so much that you can add. Each egg creation is a symbol of your passion. It’s been a great learning experience for me.”

Some of the techniques used in the class are Decoupage where sticker or single ply tissue paper is stuck on the egg shell with six coatings of special glue and then smoothened with a number zero sand paper. Toiling where flowers or leaves or any other pattern can be cut from a card or picture and then moulded to give it a three dimensional appearance.

Etching and cutting where delicate mesh designs are created give the egg a magical appearance. They have also created beautiful patterns by using onion peels. A simple thing as a tissue paper or sticker has worked wonders in their hands.

The group now plans to experiment with the wax and dyeing technique. “This is so much on our minds that when we go on vacation, we keep looking for unique things, motifs, diamantes, egg stands etc. that we buy and then share in the group.”

The group has been assigned the kitchen area of the club house as their workplace where they create, learn, innovate and experiment with different techniques. Emu egg is a beautiful dark olive green in colour and can give amazing patterns when bleached differentially with vinegar.

“Ostrich, emu and rhea eggs are easy to work with as their shells are thicker. We don’t work with chicken eggs here as they are extremely fragile. Goose egg is just the right size to handle and comfortable to work with,” informs Atia.

“It’s important to mention that all these eggs are the ‘bad eggs’ or the unfertilised eggs and no harm is caused to the bird in the process. We source the ‘blown out’ (emptied) sanitised shells from the US. Their availability also depends on the egg laying period of the birds.”

While I watch the collection of egg stands, tiny figurines, patterned colourful tissue papers, half done egg shells, hinges, crowns and much more; the group discusses the problems and its way-out faced by its members for their creations. They also plan their next project that will be incorporating Middle Eastern designs and patterns in their work.

The more I soak myself in the indescribable beauty of these eggs, the more I feel at a loss of words. Only seeing is believing!

Take a look!