03.28.10
Still On Touring Thailand
Just as the stop at the woodcarving factory was a surprise, we made “two” other surprise stops–one at a jewelry factory and another one at a leather factory. Well actually the tour we took the previous day did the same thing in that we stopped off at a jewelry factory and a Thai silk shop without knowing that we were going there. That jewelry factory specialized in sapphires and rubies set in gold. They did not allow any pictures inside, so I didn’t comment on it. However, the next tour we took brought us to another jewelry factory which specialized in Thai silver as well as gold and other stones. We were allowed to take some pictures here, but not in their showroom. Here’s a pic of the front of the factory.
So here are a few pictures of their jewelers at work. This guy appears to be faceting a stone.
These are a closer look at the mounted stones just before grinding.
Well, I suppose I should show some of the stones at the beginning of the process.
And some emeralds.
A guy working on a ring. I believe he was adding the stone mounting here.
Another guy working on a necklace.
Another person working on a bracelet.
A gal sorting through sapphires.
There were quite a few other workers there, but I think this is a decent sampling of the working going on during our visit. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the showroom, which was a shame because that’s where the finished work is displayed and can be appreciated. Suffice it to say that that jewelry was lovely.
The next stop was at a leather factory. They didn’t allow any pictures at all inside their building. But I did want to share something I purchase there because I thought it was unusual. These little wallets are made from leather with a weave of horse hair and silk. They came in a few colors, but I liked the plain black.
I had never seen anything made from woven horse hair and silk, so I thought they were a little novel and bought a couple for my sisters. When we came back home, Andrew had to go to a museum for one of his history classes. I tagged along. The museum he chose was the Pacific Asian Museum where, to my surprise, they had on display some traditional Korean folk hats made from woven horse hair! I never knew! Fortunately, the Pacific Asian Museum allowed as many photos as we wished so long as we didn’t use flash. Here’s a pic of one of their horse hair hats.
And another. . .
And here I had never heard of woven horse hair and silk to make wallets, while the Koreans were wearing horse hair hats hundreds of years ago. . . Learning seems never-ending. I’m supposed to be teaching Aaron, but I keep learning things right along side him. Actually, the Pacific Asian Museum had a lot of interesting things on display. I took a lot of pics, so may share those later when I have more time.
Well, it’s late, so toodles for now!
Marlakins
