Toth Zoltan Jewellery Shibayama technique (English)
Channel: Toth Zoltan Jewellery
Date: 2016-12-03

I am very often asked how I create my jewelry using the “Shibayama technique”. In this short video below, I’ll show you the entire process by creating a Shibayama pendant. Visit http://tothzoltan.com or http://shibayama-jewellery website for more Shibayama jewellery!

The Shibayama technique originates from the 18th century Japan, mainly used for decorating ornaments and objects for personal use. In addition to their aesthetic appeal, the distinctive value of the objects made by Shibayama artisans lies in the elaborate handwork and meticulous care necessary for their creation.

It can be characterized as a mixture of marquetry and relief, but in this case the pattern forming small elements are not polished to the base level. The materials used in the process are ivory (now forbidden to use), ebony, pearl, mother of pearl, tortoise shell, coral, jade. (For more info, visit the website http://tothzoltan.com or http://shibayama-jewellery.com)

Exceptional Shibayama items can be found in the collections of prestigious museums e.g the Victoria and Albert Museum, London http://http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O18957/cabinet/), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (http://http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/10.211.1276/) and Ferenc Hopp Museum of Asian Arts, Budapest (http://http://hoppmuseum.hu/hopp_ferenc_en/). It’s not only museums that have their exquisite collections of Shibayama objects, but international auction houses (http://http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=4794640, http://http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/lot.93.html/2013/collections-l13304, http://http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21861/lot/361/) also offer valuable artefacts for private collectors.