The art of metal craft arrived in Indonesia during the Bronze Age in southern China and Southeast Asia. As early as the 5th century BC, there were bronze drums found throughout the archipelago, some of which are believed to have been performed in Bali. In fact, the most famous of these drums, the huge Pejeng Moon, is still in a temple pavilion in the village of Pejeng, Bali. The drum is cast in lost wax form and stone mold. Glass beads, carnelian, shells, silver, gold and other metals were also found in the Bronze Age sites. The earliest metal jewellery was mainly copper, with some gold, silver and "suwasa", which was part of gold and two parts of copper. The tomb of the metal age reveals gold necklaces, hairpins, beads and rings. Initially, the original gold entered Indonesia from China and India, but eventually found gold in Sumatra, which is known for its jewels and daggers.
By the time of Christ's birth, people in Sumatra and Java were cultivating rice by irrigation and using buffalo plows. The ensuing accumulation of wealth has encouraged the perfection of many art forms, including jewellery. By the year 1000 AD, Java's gold and silverware reached the same level of art as bronze founders. A Chinese businessman recorded a large amount of gold. He reported in 1225 that in addition to thieves and murderers, Java criminals were not imprisoned or subjected to corporal punishment, but were fined.
The Java Majapahit Empire began to colonize Bali in the 14th century. [Majapahit has established a caste system in Bali, they are at the top of their own, the original inhabitants of the island are on the ground floor.] By the beginning of the 16th century, Bali became a refuge for Hindus to leave the increasingly Islamic island of Java. As the Majapahit Empire collapsed, Bali flooded into a large number of Javanese aristocrats and artisans, and Bali became one of the main centers of precious metal craftsmanship.
Our facility for the production of Balinese sterling silver beads is located in Bali, on the outskirts of a village called Celuk. Celuk has a long tradition of metal work. Its craftsmen catered to the nobility in the nearby court towns of Gianyar and the aristocratic houses of Sukawati and Ubud. Historically, the Royal Court of Bali was an avid art patron who used it as an expression of sacred and time power. Dutch captain Arnoudt Lintgens visited the Gelgel Palace Kingdom in eastern Bali in 1597, and he was impressed with the luxury display of exquisite gold ornaments, including parasol accessories, spears and daggers.
Although most blacksmiths come from the lowest 'sudra' caste, the metal blacksmiths in Bali have always been awe. The word "pandai" means "Smith" and "Smart." A group of blacksmiths from Singaraja in the northern part of the island traced their route before the immigration of Majapahit Javanese. Another family of blacksmiths considers himself to be a direct descendant of Brahma, and Brahma is a hot Hindu god. The symbolic meaning of precious metals in Hindu cosmology is reflected in the belief of the triplet of the mountains. Meru is the home of the gods and the center of the world, made of gold, silver and iron.
Balinese people have several traditions about the origins of goldsmiths. The ancient Hindu lontars [the inscriptions written on the leaves of the lontar palm] tell a fabulous history of art. One of them, the gods were sent to the earth to teach people civil behavior. God Mahadewa trained goldsmiths and silversmiths, and Sang Citra gave them specific guidance on jewelry making. Since then, Smith, who used precious metals, has been called "Pandmas", the goldsmith. In another inscription, a Brahman named Empu Sari from Majapahit first taught the Balinese to work in gold. There is also the first goldsmith Sish Mangkukuwan, the eldest son of Vishnu.
The blacksmiths in Bali still produce beautiful gold ornaments for domestic use, but most of the production is silver work in the export market. International demand has grown so fast that new production centers have emerged in Denpasar and Kuta. In recent years, Celuk has absorbed young people from different backgrounds who have been training and working with other people who have been using precious metals for hundreds of years.
Silver and goldsmiths from Java Island also flooded in. Modern Javanese silversmiths focus on fine silk work and 'plin', a shiny flat surface and clean, streamlined joints. In contrast, Bali's Smith focuses on granulation, in which tiny silver balls are arranged in beautiful geometric patterns. Many designers today want to combine the traditional patterns of Java and Bali. To accommodate them requires cooperation and cross-training.
The earliest Balinese silver jewelry design is a replica of traditional gold jewelry. Balinese people use beautiful repousee silver bowls and utensils as their temple products, but for jewelry they prefer gold and prefer not to wear silver. Therefore, silver jewelry has only recently been developed and has always been an export product. As the silver market grew, there was diversified pressure, and patterns from many cultures spread quickly through the Smith community. The use of multicultural patterns by craftsmen is an ancient custom. Gold jewellery from the early days of Egypt, Greece, Phoenicia, Persia and later Rome all showed patterns borrowed from each other. Skilled craftsmen, especially goldsmiths, are also an ancient trend in the migration from death to emerging civilization.
Although in the ancient world, immigrants and Phoenician merchants were responsible for slowly spreading ideas, with the advent of television, airplanes and fax machines, the process was almost instantaneous. Today, buyers come from Bali around the world. Designers have also flocked to the island. They are attracted by the sympathetic environment and the skills of artisans. Bali seems to have cultivated creativity. In this environment, the seeds of a person's imagination will inadvertently give up like lush vegetation. Many cottage industries provide jobs for foreign designers, but the creative process is almost always a collaboration, in which the influence of the Balinese artisans is evident in the finished product.
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Orignal From: The history of Bali silver and gold jewellery
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