About Daqira · The Art of Lacquer
Chinese Lacquer:
an Art Shaped by Time
Long before lacquer became a decorative art, it was valued for something practical: its ability to protect. Over thousands of years, Chinese artisans transformed the natural sap of the lacquer tree into vessels, furniture, ritual objects, carved works of art — and, today, objects that can be worn.
Chinese lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl, gold and silver, Qing dynasty, 17th century. Public Domain image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
01 · Precious Materials in Lacquer
Where Lacquer Meets Mother-of-Pearl & Gold
For Daqira, this is where the history of lacquer becomes especially relevant. Some of the most captivating Chinese lacquerware was created by combining the deep, dark surface of lacquer with materials that catch and transform light — especially mother-of-pearl inlay (luodian), gold and silver.
Chinese museum records describe luodian as shell from conch, clam or mussel that is processed, cut and assembled into patterns before being inlaid into lacquer or wood. Thin luodian can be worked into remarkably fine pieces; by the Ming and Qing periods, shell inlay was often combined with gold leaf, gold and silver foil, painted gold and other techniques to create richly layered surfaces.
A Personal Object, Not Only a Display Piece
Yuan dynasty, late 13th–14th century. Black lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay and pewter wire. Boxes of this form were sometimes fitted with trays for cosmetics, combs, hairpins and other personal adornments.
Public Domain image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Luodian as Painting in Shell
Ming dynasty, late 16th–early 17th century. Fine pieces of mother-of-pearl turn a black lacquer surface into a moonlit pictorial world, showing how shell could function almost like color and brushwork.
Public Domain image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Thin Luodian: Detail at a Minute Scale
Qing dynasty. Extremely fine mother-of-pearl fragments are set into black lacquer to form intricate decoration, showing how luodian could become extraordinarily delicate and precise.
Public Domain image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Gold in Chinese Lacquer
Gold Is More Than Ornament
In historic lacquerwork, gold could be used in several ways. It might be laid as foil, incorporated into an inlaid design, brushed as gold decoration, or worked into incised lines. Against black or cinnabar-red lacquer, gold adds both brilliance and visual depth.
A celebrated Ming imperial example uses incised decoration filled with gold to form dragons among clouds. The technique shows an important principle of lacquer art: precious materials are not simply placed on top — they are integrated into the structure and rhythm of the surface.
Luodian · 螺钿
Why Mother-of-Pearl Looks Alive
Mother-of-pearl is not valued simply because it is pale or shiny. Its layered structure refracts and reflects light, allowing blues, greens, pinks and silvery tones to appear from different angles. The artisan selects sections of shell for their color and sheen, cuts them to shape, and composes them within the lacquer surface.
Historical Chinese sources distinguish thicker and thinner forms of luodian. Thin luodian — sometimes described as fine as a wing — allowed artisans to create increasingly delicate compositions. Small shell fragments could form leaves, architecture, figures, borders or minute geometric patterns.
The Palace Museum records examples in which thin mother-of-pearl appears together with gold and silver pieces, painted gold, shell powder and other materials. One early Qing box in the collection uses mother-of-pearl with gold and silver to create a dense “Hundred Boys” scene; another combines thin luodian with gold decoration in a richly detailed tribute scene.
Why This Matters to Daqira
A Historic Material Language, Reinterpreted in Jewelry
The combination of lacquer, luodian and gold is not a modern decorative shortcut. It belongs to a long tradition in which iridescent shell and precious metals were used to bring light, contrast and richness into lacquer surfaces. Daqira’s handcrafted bracelets reinterpret this material relationship on a much smaller, wearable scale.
02 · The Material
What Is Natural Lacquer?
Traditional East Asian lacquer begins as sap harvested from the lacquer tree Toxicodendron vernicifluum. The raw material is refined before it is used as a coating or as the foundation for more elaborate decorative techniques.
Unlike a simple painted surface, natural lacquer hardens through a curing process involving oxygen and humidity. Once cured, it forms a tough, lustrous film that helped make lacquer suitable for objects intended for daily use, storage, display, ceremony, and artistic expression.
Its beauty comes not only from color, but from depth: layer placed over layer, each one allowed to cure before the next is added.
The lacquer tree, Toxicodendron vernicifluum. Public Domain image via Wikimedia Commons.
Lacquered wood box, Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). Public Domain image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
03 · A History of Millennia
One of China’s Oldest Craft Traditions
Archaeological discoveries show that lacquer was already being used in Neolithic China. Objects associated with the Hemudu culture demonstrate a tradition reaching back roughly seven millennia. What began as a protective material gradually became one of the most sophisticated surfaces in Chinese decorative art.
Lacquer appears on early objects, showing that its protective and decorative qualities were understood thousands of years ago.
Painted lacquerware flourished. Vessels, boxes, ritual objects and everyday wares became increasingly refined in form and decoration.
Decoration became increasingly sophisticated. Carved lacquer, engraved-gold work and inlay traditions developed into highly specialized arts.
Lacquer appeared across court objects, scholar’s objects, furnishings, presentation boxes and luxury decorative arts, while regional traditions continued to evolve.
The material continues to be reinterpreted by contemporary makers — from vessels and sculpture to smaller, wearable forms.
04 · Form & Function
From Everyday Object to Luxury Art
Lacquer was never confined to a single purpose. Its combination of lightness, durability, smoothness and visual depth made it useful across many parts of life — practical, ceremonial and artistic.
Dining & Serving
Bowls, cups, trays and food containers benefited from lacquer’s protective surface and refined appearance.
Storage & Personal Objects
Boxes could hold incense, cosmetics, documents, jewelry, medicines, gifts and other valued possessions.
Furniture & Interiors
Screens, cabinets, tables and architectural elements turned lacquer into part of the visual environment.
Ritual & Religious Use
Lacquer appeared on ritual objects, sutra containers, sculpture and objects associated with ceremonial life.
Music & Equipment
Historic examples include musical instruments and protective applications on functional wooden objects.
Decorative Art
Over time, lacquer became a medium for complex carving, painting, inlay and gold-filled ornament.
Lacquer box with inlay, late Ming dynasty. Public Domain image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
05 · The Making
How Traditional Lacquerware Is Made
There is no single recipe for every lacquer object. The exact sequence changes according to the base material, decorative technique and workshop tradition. But traditional lacquer work is defined by repeated preparation, thin application, curing and refinement.
Harvesting the Sap
Small cuts are made in the lacquer tree so that its raw sap can be collected. This is the material from which traditional natural lacquer begins.
Refining the Raw Lacquer
The harvested sap is purified and conditioned, removing excess moisture and impurities so it can be prepared for use.
Preparing the Body
The underlying form may be wood, bamboo, fabric, metal or another suitable support. The surface must be prepared carefully before finishing layers begin.
Building the Ground
Traditional work may use foundation layers and fillers to seal, strengthen and smooth the surface before finer coats are applied.
Applying Lacquer — Thin Layer by Thin Layer
Each coat is applied carefully. Fine lacquerware may require many successive layers; The Met notes that high-quality works can involve thirty or more coats.
Curing in Warm, Humid Conditions
Natural lacquer does not simply “air-dry” like ordinary paint. Humidity and warmth help the lacquer harden. Each layer must cure before the next can be built upon it.
Refining, Polishing & Decorating
Surfaces may be leveled and polished between stages. Depending on the technique, the finished lacquer can then be painted, carved, engraved, gilded or inlaid.
A Surface Built in Layers
The visual depth of lacquer is created gradually. Each bar represents another stage of building, curing and refining the surface.
06 · Decorative Traditions
One Material, Many Languages
Chinese lacquer evolved into a family of specialized decorative techniques. Some emphasize the surface; others depend on building lacquer thick enough to carve into relief.
Painted Lacquer
Colored lacquer creates lines, patterns and pictorial decoration across the surface.
Carved Lacquer
Many layers are built up to create sufficient depth for relief carving — one of the most celebrated Chinese lacquer traditions.
Gold Decoration
Gold can enter lacquer through several traditions: incised lines filled with gold, painted gold, gold leaf, or metal-foil inlay — light held against the depth of lacquer.
Mother-of-Pearl Inlay · Luodian
Shell is cut into pieces — sometimes extremely thin — and inlaid into lacquer to form flowers, figures, landscapes and geometric patterns that shift color as the viewing angle changes.
Cinnabar lacquer box, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period. Public Domain image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Qing dynasty black lacquer with very fine mother-of-pearl inlay. Public Domain image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
07 · The Materials Daqira Carries Forward
From Lacquer Boxes to a Wearable Scale
Daqira’s lacquer bracelets draw from this material vocabulary: natural lacquer, mother-of-pearl and gold foil. We are interested in the moment when a deep lacquer surface meets the changing color of shell and the warm reflection of gold.
On a historic box, these materials could spread across an entire landscape or courtly scene. On a bracelet bead, the scale becomes intimate. A small fragment of shell, a line of gold, a transition between lacquer layers — details that would be part of a larger composition become the focus.
Because these materials are applied and composed by hand, subtle differences in placement, pattern, reflectivity and finish are part of the work. The aim is not industrial repetition, but the character that appears when traditional materials are adapted to something personal and wearable.
08 · Time Is Part of the Craft
“Lacquer is not a surface applied all at once. It is a surface accumulated through patience.”
The slow rhythm of the craft is essential to its character. A layer is applied, allowed to cure, refined, and followed by another. Complex lacquer objects can require weeks or months of work, and historically, exceptionally elaborate pieces could demand far longer.
09 · From Object to Adornment
Tradition, Without Imitation
Daqira does not attempt to reproduce museum objects in miniature. We carry forward something more essential: the relationship between lacquer, time, handwork and precious decorative materials.
Mother-of-pearl brings shifting color. Gold foil brings warmth and light. Natural lacquer gives both a deep, quiet ground. Together, they allow a bracelet to hold the same contrasts that made historic lacquerware so compelling: darkness and brilliance, restraint and richness, permanence and change.
Each finished piece therefore has its own small variations in tone, pattern and reflection. Those differences are not a departure from the craft — they are part of what makes handcrafted lacquer worth looking at closely.
10 · Living with Lacquer
Caring for a Handcrafted Lacquer Piece
Traditional lacquer is valued for durability, but a handcrafted jewelry piece should still be treated with care. Avoid prolonged soaking, strong impact, abrasive surfaces, perfume, alcohol and harsh household chemicals. When not worn, keep the piece clean and dry, away from excessive heat and direct sunlight.
A soft, dry cloth is usually sufficient for gentle surface care. The goal is not to make the object remain untouched, but to allow it to be worn and appreciated without unnecessary damage.
Daqira
An Ancient Material.
A Contemporary Way to Wear It.
To understand lacquer is to understand why time matters. What appears as a polished surface is the result of material, repetition, patience and the hand of the maker — a tradition thousands of years in the making.