DESCRIPTION OF THE JEWELLERY
湛ZHAN is the exceptional collection of our jewellery with the most exquisite and high-qualified work. All the pieces are handmade by experienced artisans with unique skills, only a few in the region even whole China are capable to do it. This silver earring is handmade by the artisan Wu from Kaili, Guizhou. The bracelet is exquisitely knitted with skillful work. The flowery piece in the middle is connected by the dozens of leaf shaped knitted hollow silver slice. It is extraordinarily delicate and elegant. The perfect quality is among the top in the region even in China. The silver slice of the main body is fairly delicate and thin, which makes the bracelet light and easy to wear.
Technique: Knitting and filigree skills are used to create this piece. The flower decoration and leaf shaped chain are carefully knitted by artisan. Wu needs to twist two silver wires which are thinner than human hair and knit with the strand in the frame before welding. Through knitting, various linear decorations are presented, which are exquisite and exquisite. Miao silvermaking has been threatened to disappear and was inscribed in National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Material: Fine silver - 16g.
*Fine silver has a millesimal fineness of 999. Also called pure silver, it is less and less used in jewellery making due to its soft feature that increases the difficulty in the making process. However, to respect the tradition in the region, artisans insist to use fine silver to create high-qualified pieces with exquisite technique.
Size: 17cm*1.5cm
Artisan: Wu is female artisan running the workshop with her husband in Kaili, Guizhou. She is specialized in engraving, knitting and other techniques. This type of bracelet often takes her 5 days to make.
ABOUT THE JEWELLERY
In the remote mountain areas of Guizhou, Southwest of China, Miao and other minority groups carry forward the culture of handmade silver jewellery with traditional techniques that have been developing for hundreds of years. Lacking their own written language, local people use silversmithing to pass down their rich culture. The exquisite craftsmanship, artistic design and soulful approach make it splendid works of art.
Our silver jewellery is inspired by the wisdom of ethnical culture and the harmony of the indigenous communities with nature. Its profound philosophy gives it strong individuality and distinguished feature. We work with eight ancestral workshops and more than 30 artisans from the local communities to create our jewellery. Each piece is carefully handmade with the fine silver (999 silver) and unique patterns. The whole process consists of over 30 complex steps and could last for several days.
We aspire to provide opportunities to preserve this traditional craftsmanship and find its way to a wider world. In addition, we hope to support the development and growth of artisan communities.
CARE INSTRUCTIONS
All silver jewellery will age and tarnish naturally. Store your pieces individually in small zip-lock plastic bags after having removed as much air as possible. We also provide jewellery care services, please contact us if it’s needed.
ABOUT THE PACKAGING
We work with traditional paper making artisans from the Shiqiao ethnic communities in Guizhou (China) to create the wrapped cover of our jewellery boxes. All papers are handmade with natural material and are chemical free. We honour the sustainable way that Shiqiao people work and have been living with nature for the last millennium. At the same time, we aspire to raise the awareness of packaging waste and encourage the recycled use of each of our paper cover.