GOLD-FINISH REPAIRS

Gold Lacquer Repairs - named kintsugi - were developed in Japan to repair tea bowls for the tea ceremony in the 16th century. It was then thought that an object to which gold lacquer repair had been applied was more valuable. The same can be said nowadays for your treasured pieces - a travelling souvenir, a wedding gift, a memento from childhood, etc.

Although urushi, a highly toxic tree sap, is traditionally used in this process, conferring strength to an object after the repair and giving it the possibility of domestic use, current practices (and this studio) DO NOT use this method.

Rather, we apply western conservation materials and methods due to the high toxicity of the traditional methods and materials. Contrary to the traditional kintsugi repairs, all materials we use are fully reversible and retain their decorative-only function.

The example here is of a rice bowl repaired following the best contemporary Western conservation practices.