Celuk silver, the village that works in grains

Celuk is a village in Gianyar, a short drive south of Ubud, where most families have worked silver and gold for generations. The signature is granulation, jawan in Balinese: minute spheres of silver, each rolled and heated one at a time, laid onto the piece in rows and swirls, then fused in the flame so they bond without a bead of solder showing. A ring covered in jawan can carry several hundred grains, and every one was placed by hand with a fine brush.

The other Celuk signature is filigree, silver wire twisted and coiled into lace, often framing the granules. The silver itself is sterling, 925, stamped by the workshop. What separates a Celuk piece from the cast copies sold on tourist strips is that the grains are round and slightly uneven, because they were made, not moulded, and the surface has the soft glow of metal that was finished by hand.

The workshops that keep this technique alive list on 1VIM with their pin in Celuk. The landed price, duties and taxes included, shows before you pay; the silversmith prints the customs paperwork and hands the parcel to the courier. See what else is made on the island on the Bali region page.