At Rebecca Manners we bridge the gap between two worlds whilst delivering you historical ethically-made lifetime jewels.
We believe in the people and authentic stories; whilst searching for master artisans of ancient techniques from jewellery to interiors to save craft from extinction.
Now more than ever in our current climate we are facing the loss of dying arts that are over 3000 years old. Artisans are having to migrate to other jobs due to the pandemic and factory made products are taking the lead due to fast delivery times.
At Rebecca Manners our mission is to find for the few remaining masters in their precious techniques in Indonesia and Myanmar. From jewellery, to weaving, to natural dyed textiles to carving. We bring you real tales from a remote world with a mission to innovate, celebrate and bring these techniques back to create beauty, save lives, keep traditions alive and inspiring you to support the Art of slow, conscious collectible objects with historical value.
“Craftsmanship was born from human needs. The importance of art & craft lies not only inits beauty, but in the content which reflects shared cultural values.”
Nestled amongst rice fields in north Bali jungle surrounded by temples, our masters live in community and in harmony with their people, their gods and nature to create pieces that for them bring them closer to their spirit world.
Carving evolved in Bali as a form of spiritual devotion and until the 20th century, carvings were exclusively used in temples and palaces. Decorative panels, ornate doors, figures of the deities, masks and jewels were created for ceremonial use and often had the function of warding off malevolent spirits.
The European artists who came to Ubud in the 1920s and 30shad a profound effect on the practice of wood-carving, as they did on painting techniques. For the first time, the Balinese started to create carvings for artistic or commercial purposes rather than religious ones.
It took a while for us to convince him to be in front of the camera; as it took over 5 months to gain his trust for him to meet me back in 2018. I first heard about him on a tiny neighbouring island of Nusa Ceningan from a friend of his that Rebecca met in a small shop selling exquisite carvings.
Darma learned his skill from watching his colleagues since he was a little boy and over the years he’s created a small workshop with apprentices that he now teaches his memory banked skill to as well being the head of his community where he ensures everyone is safe and provided with the right sanitation and food supplies in these times.
A Balinese couple with an entrepreneurial spirit, they’re trusted friends and part of our artisan constellation network that set out to preserve traditional jewellery skills with their own workshop in North West Bali.
As a young boy looking for work in the jewellery business Putu got hired by a jewellery agency here in Bali and worked in a factory for 15 years. He learned the ins and out of the western demands of jewellery making until one day his main client went bankrupt resulting in Putu losing everything and left with huge debts and unpaid stock.
He went on to become a driver, his boss understood Putu’s ambition and helped him set up his own workshop.
Putu now runs the show and Wayan his wife runs the accounts. Together they now work with over 10 master Goldsmiths fusing traditional techniques with modern designs.
The word repoussé comes from the French meaning “to push up.” The sheet of metal is worked from the backside with a hammer and various tools, and the shapes are pounded into the sheetmetal. Then the metal is turned over to the front side and the shapes are refined, using a technique known as chasing.
Meet the legend and Master Ketut Muji, 88 years old, retired and the last of his generation. He is one of Bali’s most renowned goldsmiths known for his “Tatah technique” also known as repousse.
With his hands he has worked for over 70 years creating some of the most intricate jewellery and sculptures for the Royal Family to museums. He had nine children of whom he tried to pass down his passion, his skill yet only one of them was capable of following his lead and it comes with a huge pleasure to say that we are now working with his son Komang.
The ancient technique called granulation is a specialised version of fusing in which tiny spheres “granules” are attached to a piece with such a delicate fillet that they appear to be simply set into place. The result is a rich yet delicate pattern of great beauty.
Meet A’ank,he originates from Java but came to Bali to look for a better life. He started working with Farah Farini an Indonesian entrepreneur who set up a chocolate factory in Bali as well as a small jewellery workshop. A’ank is one our very best goldsmiths who started making jewellery from the age of 7 from his father. The family are from 3 generations of jewellery makers and A’ank is the last to be able to create such intricate designs using 4 different ancient techniques, from granulation, filigree, to sculpting to kinetic jewels.
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