Butterfly design- Jewelry Box Korean Traditional Mother of Pearl

History

Using natural lacquer with decorative inlay is a practice that originated in China more than 2000 years ago, and can be found in the craftwork of many Asian countries. Over time, individual styles of lacquerware developed in different parts of asia, with materials such as Mother-of-Pearl, wood, metal foil and coloured paint inlaid in the lacquer as decoration. It was Korean artisans who became masters of inlaid Mother-of-Pearl designs of high complexity and great beauty, and their art was highly sought after throughout the far east. Unlike lacquerware of other countries, in Korean art the lacquer itself does not usually play a major asthetic role as it is dominated by exquisite Mother-of-Pearl patterns.

In Korean, the art of Mother-of-Pearl Lacquerware is called Najeon-Chilgi. The origins of lacquerware in Korea can be dated back to the Naklang period. It became popular in Korea in the period of Shilla (7-10 AD). During the reign of King Munjong in Koryo (11 AD), the government operated a workshop system to make Najeon Chilgi products. Najeon Chilgi made there were presented to foreign kings and envoys.

Art pieces of Najeon Chilgi can be found in museums of Japan, Germany, U.S.A., England, the Netherlands and many other countries all over the world. The natural lacquer varnish is one of the strongest among varnishes and preserves the beauty of these exquisite pieces.

Our methods

We use a combination of modern and traditional methods to produce pieces of very high quality. Traditional technique is a complicated and painstaking process consisting of more than twenty steps. However, the manufacturing process can be outlined as follows:

- Careful preparation of Mother-of-Pearl shell
- Designing the Mother-of-Pearl inlay pattern
- Cutting the design from flattened Mother-of-Pearl shell fragments
- Building the wooden frame of the product
- Laying cloth on the surface of the wooden frame
- Coating the surface with natural lacquer
- Spraying powdered ox bone on the surface
- Inlaying the Mother-of-Pearl design into the lacquer
- Repetition of lacquering and polishing

It can take three to six months to complete a product.