Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The First Purchase

Wednesday
April 30 2008
Hong Kong

A few years ago, Mom told me that someone had told her it’s good fortune (or good taste, can’t recall which) to have an item of Chinese design in each room. If that’s true, my bedroom just inherited good fortune.

Simmer down, you dirty little minds out there...no hidden meaning behind the statement.

You’re looking at a photo of legitimate hand made Cloisonne, made by a company Trip knows well, based just outside of Beijing. It’s stunning in person, and incredibly well priced, given the discount I was offered in their booth at the Hong Kong Gift show. The piece won’t arrive in Minneapolis for a couple of months due to shipping, but oh, it’s worth the wait.

According to Conny (the vendor), the little squiggle lines are hand laid copper wire. Enamel is then painted in, layer by layer, until the color and finish is complete. Last step is hand polishing to give it the soft glow of real Cloisonne.

Photos don’t do this justice; it’s just about the prettiest piece I’ve ever seen (in addition to the tall floor vase with red blossoms, which was beyond my price range). Big thanks to Sarah for coming along as I returned to the booth for these photos.