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Moroccan mosaics and Moroccan tile
Our Moroccan mosaics are authentically handmade in our production unit in Fez, Morocco.
Making of the raw materials for Moroccan tile and Moroccan mosaics:
Once
the Moroccan tile and Moroccan mosaics colors are chosen, the raw materials are produced by a potter, or
"Fkhar," who handles the hand mixing of the clay, the sun drying, the
color mixing of the glazes, and the baking of the raw materials in a
traditional "beehive" style kiln. The tile pieces are typically 5"x 5"
square tiles that are rough around the edges, called "lajoura," before
they are hand chiseled.
Cutting of the basic ceramic Moroccan tile into small intricate Moroccan mosaics pieces
After
the ceramic tile is kiln baked and sorted out, the raw materials are
given to our master cutter, "Maalam Nakach," who hand chisels the
desired pattern by cutting small geometric pieces called "ferma" from
the 5"x 5" ceramic tiles. This step is very important since it is
crucial that the "ferma" line up perfectly with each other in order to
create top quality mosaic patterns. Once the master sample is made,
"Maalam Nakach" distributes the "ferma" to be cut among the cutting
team which is made up of ten to fifteen cutters. The cutters then use
hand chisels to cut thousands of small geometric pieces that make up
the mosaic. The prototype created by "Maalam Nakach" is as important to
mosaic work as architectural drawings are to construction.
Assembly of the Moroccan mosaics
After
the chiseled mosaic pieces have been given to the master tile artisan,
the "Maalam Ferach" and his team start assembling the tile by laying
the small geometric mosaic pieces face down to ensure an even surface
on the face of the mosaic. This is very laborious work since "Maalam
Ferach" has to grind a majority of the pieces, "ferma," into
predetermined sizes based on the repetition of the mosaic pattern,
"tarbiaa," to produce perfect geometric harmony of the desired pattern.
This process is called "slaka." "Maalam Ferach" then disperses cement
and lime powder on the back side of the mosaic and sprinkles a small
amount of water on top to hold the "ferma" in place. This assembly
process makes the mosaic ready for the final assembly stage which
involves covering the back of the mosaics with a secret family mixture.
Cleaning
Cleaning is the last step of the mosaic making
process. After letting the assembled mosaics dry for 24 hours, the
mosaic panels are carefully lifted and cleaned before packing.
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