Guest Author - Susan Dorling

Bali, an island in Idonesia, is renowned for its silversmithing. Shaped sterling silver wiring and silver dots called sterling silver granulations characterize Bali silver components, that look amazing in sterling silver jewelry designs. While silversmithing is practiced all around the island of Bali, there is a concentration of silversmiths in and around Celuk, a village in the south central part of the island.

If you love sterling silver jewerly, you will most probably have a little or a lot of Bali silver in your collection. The Balinese style involves applying little sterling silver dots and wires that have been bent into various forms to a larger base. The base can be round, oval, square, rectangular, or any other geometric shape.

The silversmith will use a glue from a native berry to attach these granulations and wires to the base. Once the artist is satisfied with the layout, every piece is soldered. When these components are brought together into a single piece of jewelry, the effect is distinctly Balinese. Balinese silversmiths also create the beads and findings that are essential components of their jewelry.

The Balinese style is distinguished by its use of antiquing or induced tarnishing which makes every design a unique and exciting piece. Silversmithing in Bali, like many of the other arts of the island (wood carving, painting, fabric making, etc.) is a family affair. Children often apprentice with their parents, passing on skills from generation to generation.

These days, it is easy to to find "Bali-style" beads and jewelry pieces and findings made in Indonesia, Turkey, and other countries. These products are copies of Balinese design, and are usually not made up to the same exacting standards of the Balinese people. India, in particular, is producing a lot of imposter Bali silver that is of poor quality. India's Bali-style silver often makes use of casting, which leads to poorly articulated beads, and is seldom made of sterling silver, although it is usually sold as such. These low-quality, and low-priced imitations have reduced demand for Bali silver. This decrease of interest in the unique Bali product is apparently causing great hardship for the Balinese people. Please make a concerted effort to buy from a Bali source.