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Sơn Mài - Amber (The Jewels of Vietnam)

Sơn Mài - Amber (The Jewels of Vietnam)

Regular price $550.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $550.00 USD
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Type

Description

Only one piece per variant available

Note:

Because of the natural properties of the lacquer and the polishing technique, each pen features a slightly matte and non-translucent finish. This distinctive characteristic adds to its unique charm, making it truly irreplaceable.

Important Note: Son Mai is an extremely complicated and painstaking process where every single step, from scratch to finish, is handled by hands. Therefore, sometimes distinctive traces such as dots, brush traits, or uneven surfaces, can be observed in the final product. This unique characteristic is an aesthetic factor of Son Mai, making each pen an one-of-a-kind artwork of your own.

About Son Mai

Son Mai (Sơn Mài) painting is made with lacquer created from resin of Cay Son (Cây Sơn) tree (known as Rhus succedanea) grown in Phu Tho, Vietnam. In this technique, many layers of lacquer are applied, left to dry, and polished over many months or even a year. Precious decoration materials such as gold, silver, seashells, or eggshells are also used together in the application process.

However, what makes this technique so different from others is the Mài - grounding step. In Son Mai, the final image is fully revealed only after the lacquer layers are ground back. Therefore, the work of making Son Mai is unpredictable, arduous yet rewarding if the artist is persistent until the end.

Collection "The Jewels of Vietnam"

Using four important elements of nature as inspiration: crane, lotus, goldfish, and Son Ta, Master Pham Chinh Trung has brought us a new collection - The Melody of Nature. Eight distinguished pens - each with a one-of-a-kind look - represent Master Pham Chinh Trung's committment to sharing the beauty and grace of Vietnam's nature through the art of Son Mai.

Inspired by Amber

Although the amber gemstone has existed in Vietnamese jewelry for centuries, a natural deposit of amber was only discovered in 2020 on the island of Phu Quoc. It is from this specific type of amber that we drew inspiration for the Son Mai - Amber. The gem - like the pen's demonstrator body - is transparent with a reddish orange color. The eggshell inlay (Son Ta) serves as a contrasting, yet alluring pattern to the rest of the pen, and it is meant to resemble how the glow of the amber stands out against the unforgiving rockface.

Eggshell Artwork - SƠN TA (Son Ta)

SƠN TA (Son Ta) is a type of Vietnamese traditional paint used in Sơn Mài. The resin is made from the tree called Toxicodendron Succedaneum.

Due to the transparent nature of Urushi (lacquer), the Son Ta technique does not have a white color, which led to artisans in Vietnam inlaying eggshells directly onto the object as a complementary or contrasting decorative aspect to the artistic design.
The most challenging part is attaching the eggshell piece by piece before applying many layers of lacquer to in order to flatten the surface.

About Master PHAM Chinh Trung

Each fountain pen carries the signature style of Master Pham Chinh Trung, where the familiar scenery from the countryside of Vietnam is illustrated using only the main colors of Son Mai such as Black, Red, and Green in combination with gold powder.

Every single fountain pen in this collection is crafted with the original idea and imagination of Master Pham Chinh Trung. Most of the designs here are limited to only 1 piece each and might never come back in the future.

Product Care

Some models of Son Mai is crafted and decorated with real gold leaf and gold powder. Please handle with extra care to avoid damage to the surface. Please refrain from exposing your Son Mai pen to strong impacts, sharp objects, or objects that can peel off the finish such as sticky tape.

Specifications

Base material: ABS

Art: Eggshell Artwork - SƠN TA (Son Ta)

Filling mechanism: Converter or Cartridge (European International Standard)

Nib: #6 Jowo stainless steel, Wancher 18K gold

Feed: Plastic, ebonite black, ebonite red

Compact air-tight cap: Preven dried-out ink problem

Size & Shape

Length: 154.8 mm (with cap), 135.5 mm (without cap)

Diameter: 15.5 mm (max)

Weight: 28 g (with cap), 19 g (without cap)

Packaging

Traditional Japanese Wooden Box + Pen Kimono + Instructional Materials + Converter + Cartridge

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