'Jasmine Forest,' purse

NOVICA, in association with National Geographic, offers thousands of limited edition and one-of-a-kind gifts, jewelry, and home decor treasures handmade by master artists and artisans throughout the world. This elegant purse is imbued with the mystical beauty of a jasmine forest. The purse is entirely handcrafted with remarkable detail by skilled silversmiths. Ploy Intha proudly presents this purse, its magnificent chain strap a beautiful complement. This purse is ideal for stylish evenings out. To create this purse, the silver alloy is poured into a terracotta container. When the silver has set, the artisan pounds it into a sheet and cuts it into the desired shape. A coat of oil and pitch mixture is applied to a wooden surface before setting the silver sheet to be engraved with chisels and nails. Once engraved, the piece is heated to remove the pitch and placed into a bath of boiling acid to rinse out the impurities. Then the silversmith shapes solid strings into various shapes, and solders them into the desired design. Once completed, the piece is washed in tamarind solution and rinsed with water. Finally, it is filed with a small brass brush and polished. .925 silver. Artisan Info: "My name is Ploy Intha. Although silversmithing is my passion, I have not always been a silversmith. When I was very young, I worked for five years as a food seller with my sister. I would wake up at two o'clock in the morning and work until nine in the evening. It was a hard job that paid very