Ramie earrings, handmade earrings with natural Chinese lacquer

Handmade earrings with natural Chinese lacquer. Traditional craftsmanship made with love. Each earring set takes at least 3 months to make.

Materials: 

• Earring Base: Real ramie leaf
• Surface coating: Natural Chinese lacquer
• Earring post: Gold-plated 925 silver

All natural materials.

The earrings are crafted from natural materials that capture the essence of the outdoors, each piece imprinted with its own history of sun and wind.

The healing energy of ramie:

Made from the leaves of the ramie plant and finished with multiple coatings of natural lacquer, they represent the palette of the seasons. Ramie is valued for its medical use of healing wounds and is believed to carry calming properties, offering a sense of grounding and connection to nature with every wear. These earrings are a simple homage to the cyclical beauty of the natural world.

Care instruction: do not immerse in water for a long time. Keep in a cool and dry place. 

The Chinese lacquerware technique:

The "大漆" (dà qī) technique, also known as "Chinese lacquer," is a traditional artistic practice deeply rooted in Chinese culture. It involves the meticulous application of sap extracted from the lacquer tree, known for its durability and glossy finish. Dating back thousands of years, this technique has been employed to create exquisite objects ranging from furniture and utensils to decorative items and artworks.

Artisans skilled in the "大漆" technique carefully layer the lacquer onto various base surfaces, often wood, bamboo, or metal, to produce stunning visual effects. (The earrings use the ramie as the base surface) The process typically involves several stages of coating, drying, and polishing, sometimes interspersed with intricate designs or inlaid materials like mother-of-pearl, gold leaf, or colored pigments.

China Lacquer, the resin of a family of trees found throughout southern China—as well as in Southeast Asia, Korea, and Japan—is an amazing material. When exposed to oxygen and humidity, lacquer hardens or polymerizes, becoming a natural plastic and an ideal protective covering for screens, trays, and other implements. It can keep for thousands of years.

Since ancient times, natural or raw earth lacquer from the Sumac Tree has been used as medicine. It is a "pure natural" product. The lacquer collection methods and process are extremely complex, collectors have to cut the mountain barks carefully in the middle of night and change the shell clam (which is used to collect the lacquer) every few seconds. Natural Lacquer is extremely expensive — A single lacquer tree can only cut 10 kg of raw lacquer in its life cycle; 3000 lacquer trees can only collect 1 kg of lacquer!

Beyond its aesthetic appeal, "大漆" holds profound cultural significance in Chinese tradition. It symbolizes resilience, as the lacquer itself is derived from a tree that thrives despite harsh conditions. Additionally, the meticulous craftsmanship required embodies the virtues of patience, precision, and reverence for nature—a reflection of traditional Chinese values.