Blue and Brass | Colored Urushi Earrings

I had been working with white urushi for a while, so I decided to try using a different colored urushi this time.

These are simple earrings made by coating freshwater pearls with blue urushi and adding a line of brass powder at the border.

Creating the color

For the colored urushi, I mixed green and white urushi into an asagi (light blue-green) base, adjusting it until I reached the desired color.

Coating, sanding, and polishing

I coat half of the pearl with urushi. I let it dry, then sand it. I coat it again, let it dry, and sand it again. I repeat this process about three times to build up the layers.

Because they are so small, it was difficult to control the pressure so as not to sand through the layers of urushi I had applied.

Once the sanding is finished, I move on to the polishing process. If sanding is the work of removing brush marks and smoothing the surface, polishing is the work of bringing out the luster. As I continue to polish, the unique, syrupy luster of urushi begins to emerge.

Seeing this luster makes the time spent patiently sanding feel worthwhile.

Makie

Once the luster is achieved, I move on to the final makie process. I draw a line with red urushi called e-urushi, and then sprinkle brass powder over it.

Though it is just a fleeting moment in the overall process, sprinkling the powder feels somewhat magical, and it is my favorite part of the work.

And with that, it is complete.

Since I didn't use techniques like eggshell inlay this time, the production time was shorter than the last one.

Instead, using small pearls made the intricate work quite difficult.
The brass lines are uneven, and there are many parts of the finished product I am not satisfied with.

But, it is a form created by my own hands as they are now.

I hope that when I look back at this photo someday, I can think, 'I've gotten a little better since those days.'

Previous production log ⇩