Lacquer wares inlaid with Mother of pearl

Najeon Chilgi, the wooden lacquerware inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl, is truly a cultural asset of Korea.

The art of Najeon Chilgi is used to make items from jewelry boxes to chests, dressers and desks.

The two main materials used in making Najeon Chilgi are the lacquer coating and mother-of-pearl.

Korean mother-of-pearl made from the shining, unchangeable beauty of pearl oyster or abalone, is

considered to be the jewel of the Orient.

Traditional technique is a complicated and painstaking process consisting of more than twenty steps.

The manufacturing can be roughly divided into several processes; pasting hemp cloth on the surface

of the wooden frame; coating the surface with natural lacquer; spraying powdered ox bone on the surface;

inlaying the patterned mother-of-pearl on the pitch black background; and then repetition of lacquering

and polishing. It takes 3~6 months to complete a product.

The art of Najeon Chilgi dates back to the Nakrang period.

According to research, Najeon Chilgi already prevailed in the period of Shilla(7~10AD).

Then the government operated a workshop system to make Najeon Chilgi products in the reign of

King Munjong in Koryo(11AD). The Najeon Chilgi made there were presented to foreign Kings and envoys.

Art pieces of Najeon Chilgi are kept in museums of Japan, Germany, U.S.A, England, Netherlands and

many other countries all over the world. The varnishing with lacquer is the strongest among varnishes,

which makes life of these pieces permanent.

Many Different jewelry box Available: Please visit my store.

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