Start With the Weave, Not the Colour
The colour catches your eye first. That is exactly what the seller is counting on. Before you react to the shade, turn the saree over. On a genuine handloom silk, Kanjivaram, Banarasi, Paithani, Pochampally, the reverse side shows the same pattern with only slightly less definition. On a power-loom piece, the reverse is messy: loose threads, uneven tension, pattern bleed. That single check eliminates a large share of what is sold as handloom.
