Kintsugi or “Golden Repair”

Kintsugi is a process of using lacquer and gold to repair ceramics leaving a visible golden seam highlighting where cracks had been. While modern kintsugi has expanded beyond the traditional golden seams to include silver, and other materials, the word kintsugi comes from the Japanese words meaning gold and joinery.

[image consists of a close up of a kintsugi bowl]

Many find a lot of therapeutic symbolism in kintsugi pieces, the celebration of use and repair, embracing the imperfection and highlighting the way things have broken and been mended. Even the process of creating a kintsugi piece can often be healing for some.

While the idea of creating one of these kintsugi pieces may sound like a daunting task, seeing a loss turned into a new piece of art can be very therapeutic. Today you can even get kits that include all the materials you need, some that are also food safe in case you want to repair a cherished serving platter that perhaps was a Thanksgiving casualty?

(🦃Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating today!🦃)

[Image consists of a close up of a kintsugi plate]

Whether you get a kit or just the materials (clear epoxy resin/other ceramic adhesive, gold mica powder/liquid gold leaf, stir sticks, gloves etc.) if you plan to create some kintsugi yourself, a few things to keep in mind, while each kit or epoxy will contain its own instructions to follow, some general tips would include:

• Fewer pieces and clean breaks can be important especially when starting out.

• Also consider doing a few ‘practice’ pieces first while you are learning. (Just think, if you want to practice you might get to intentionally break something too!)

• Patience is important, depending on the piece and number of breaks you may have to repair the piece in steps rather than all at once.

• Working quickly can be important - The process often involves using a 2 part epoxy mixture that will set up fairly quickly so requires applying the epoxy in a patient but confident manner to get an even layer of the right thickness.

• Remember the process itself is about celebrating imperfection and repair, so it doesn’t need to be perfect!

[Image consists of heart shaped kintsugi kit with stages and materials]

Join in the conversation?

• Have you ever had something break that you wish you could have repaired in this way?

• As I mentioned, some people find a therapeutic value and meaning behind kintsugi, so what is one way you have healed that you would like to celebrate and highlight rather than hiding?

• So, will you consider giving kintsugi a try?

Sources:
https://traditionalkyoto.com/culture/kintsugi/
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/how-japanese-art-technique-kintsugi-can-help-you-be-more-ncna866471
https://nymag.com/strategist/article/kintsugi-repair-kit-review.html
https://nomliving.com/blogs/thingswedo/kintsugi-a-how-to-guide
https://www.invaluable.com/blog/kintsugi/

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