Arriving at Hong Thai commune (Kien Xuong district, Thai Binh province), we had the opportunity to talk with people who make Dong Xam silver carving, a traditional profession of the people here. Talking about the golden age of the profession, Mr. Nguyen The Dan (68 years old) - who has been involved in silver carving for more than 40 years - said that during its heyday here, every family followed the profession to bring in income.
According to legend, in 1428, Mr. Nguyen Kim Lau came here to build a camp and teach the craft to the villagers. To this day, after nearly 600 years, the Dong Xam silver carving craft is still preserved and developed by the people.
"To create sophisticated silver carvings that are both sparkling and soft with a "soul", the craftsman himself must be talented, love the job, and be creative. In particular, we must know how to take advantage of the reflective properties of silver and understand the techniques of light and shadow processing to apply skillful crafting techniques to create the product's beauty," Mr. Dan shared.
Not only that, the process of making silver carving products also requires high concentration and meticulousness, because even a small mistake can ruin the entire product. It is the meticulousness, sophistication, and skillful craftsmanship of the craftsman that has created Dong Xam silver carving products that stand out from silver products from other places, from design to decorative layout.
Sharing more about the profession with us, Mr. Dan smiled and said that this profession is very hot, sitting next to the fire all day, not everyone can stand it. The difficulty of the craft is that to create any product, the craftsman must imagine the way to do it and the amount of work. The embossing of motifs and patterns is done by hand, no machine can replace it.
Mr. Trieu Dang Khoa - Chairman of Dong Xam Silver Carving Village Association said that in the past, 70 - 80% of the people in Dong Xam village were engaged in handicrafts, but now only about 40% remain. Therefore, in order to meet market demand and preserve the quintessence of traditional crafts, in addition to handmade silver carving products, bronze carving or silver-plated products have also been developed.
Nowadays, to inherit and preserve the traditional profession of their ancestors, craftsmen in Dong Xam craft village only need rudimentary tools such as nails, hammers, etc. to be able to carve and engrave products with sophisticated patterns.
