A pattern in a yellow water soluble gum is painted on the piece and covered with a thin layer of lacquer. Gold foil is put onto to the sticky lacquer. When the piece is washed, the yellow paint and foil above it dissolve to reveal the black of the pattern underneath. Lacquer was also used to seal baskets and Chiang Mai used to be the centre of a style of khoen ware that was red and black. This was used on household objects but the style went out of fashion and is no longer widely produced.
Modern designs using coloured lacquer on lines etched into a black base are Burmese in style.
Real lacquer from the tree is also increasingly scarce and some modern work may use petroleum base mixes. 08.00 - 17.00 Traditional style shop sells lacquerware as well as wooden furniture. 08.30 - 17.00 Emporium on the Sankampaeng road, with a reputation for its lacquerware. Prathuang Khruang Khoen - D 101 Nantaram Road Hrs. The small workshop at the back of this shop offers one of the last opportunities to see a more traditional style of lacquerware manufacture.