Expressions of White | Eggshell Earrings

In lacquerware, a pure "white" does not exist.

Because lacquer itself is brownish, even when mixed with white pigment, it results in a somewhat warm beige.
(Production notes for a stone object painted with white lacquer ⇩⇩)

For this reason, the technique known as "rankaku" (eggshell) has long been used to express "white."

Using lacquer as an adhesive, finely crushed eggshells are applied and laid out one by one.

This time, I took on the challenge of this technique.

I created small earrings that combine freshwater pearls, lacquer, and eggshells.

Layers of time dwelling within the materials

The materials I used were freshwater pearls, lacquer, and eggshells.
What drew me to them was that they are all materials born from layering "layers of time."

Lacquer, the sap slowly spun by trees.

Freshwater pearls, formed by layering nacre over and over.
And eggs, the very origin of life.

Each of them exists here, having passed through different times in different places.
I was drawn to the beauty of this coincidence.

Endless preparation

The quail eggs used this time.
Although eggs are a familiar food, the path to transforming their shells into "material" was, once again, a task requiring patience.

Bleach the speckled pattern of the eggs and wash them.
Carefully remove the thin membrane from the inside one by one and let them dry.

Repetition of choices with no right answer

Even after the materials were ready, the work that required holding one's breath continued.
I placed the finely crushed eggshells one by one, matching the curved surface of the pearls.

How much of a gap should I leave?
Which fragments should be placed next to each other?
There is not a single uniform piece.
The accumulation of those choices creates the expression of the work.

I layer lacquer on top, and then quietly polish it again.

And the small earrings are complete.
They are a secret crystal, tightly condensed with the time spun by the natural world and the time spent working by hand in the studio.