Uncle Sơn, Silver & “Artisan”
A heated, humid, sunny afternoon in Saigon, Vietnam - End of March.
If you have travelled to Vietnam and had a chance to ride a motorbike, you would remember the “thrill” of finding the final destination after passing through multiple narrow alleyways, experiencing the joy of turning back and forth because the address numbers do not follow any logical sequences (trust me, getting around Saigon should be a case study for Google Maps). Luckily, my navigating skill is still on point since 2019.
Making the final left turn on the 436/22L alley, there I finally meet the Artisan behind BẠC whom we called Uncle Sơn.
I have known Uncle Sơn for over 10 years; he is the only silver maker in town whom my mom trusts. She insists to have him on board with BẠC.
For the first collection, it takes my mom and I 3 months to finalize the designs. Uncle Sơn is our right hand who aides the artisanal process, making our vision and ideas come to life.
We talk about Vietnamese Silversmith and Uncle’s journey to become one. Started in 1985, the young Sơn decided to learn about silver craft - a historical and cultural Craft which has been famously known in Northern Vietnam and mastered by generations of Artisans in Thái Bình or Định Công Province. Born and raised in Saigon (Southern Vietnam) to a family of 4, Uncle Sơn is the only one who work in this industry. People do not have much awareness about silversmith in the South, hence the decision to enter this field is quite ambitious.
“I did not expect much, I was young and wanted to challenge myself. Then I fell in love with it because I realize I do have the skill to become a professional silversmith”.
He got a job as one of the main silver makers at the Silver Art store in Đồng Khởi St, a popular tourist neighborhood in the center of Saigon. Since Silver Art is rare in the South, the shop he worked at quickly became a travel destination, mostly for Japanese tourists.
When being asked about how he and my mom met, his face lits up:
“The shop was doing very well, I stayed for about 10 years. That’s how I met your mom. She started coming by regularly to do custom jewelry. She only asked for me to make them and she always had her design ready, they were all very unique. It was tough and challenging to make them come to life, and I’m glad she still gives me that trust until now.”
The owner closed down the shop to move to Canada. She wanted him to continue working for her as she completed his visa and paperwork.
“My guts told me to stay and I’m glad I did. This craft is dearly to our country and our Ancestors, I feel that it is my duty to continue the job, even in a smaller scale” - he shares.
Uncle has lived in the same house since the 70s. A mini studio was installed once he took over the place from his parents.
“Let me take you upstair”, as he guides me up the porcelain stairs. I am amazed at how simple the studio is set up, it probably shows on my face. Uncle Sơn smiles “As long as I have all the tools, space does not matter. This set has been with me for over 30 years and it is still running excellently”.
There is a home-built furnace on one end and the work station is on the other, looking out to the balcony. Torches, soldering probe, tongs, metal files, flush cutters, all type of pliers…”What a beautiful chaos” - I mumble. He then starts explaining about Silver Casting with a demonstration.
Silver metal is melted with the temperature of 1,800°F. Once the liquid form is achieved, it will need to be transferred to the steel mold as quickly as possible (before the silver turns solid again). The silver liquid freezes in seconds, its surface is shiny like a tiny mirror. After drops it to the water, Uncle puts the silver bar in my hand:
“Here, feel how heavy this is. This is only 1/10 of the silver usage that is going into one of your pieces, I would need to repeat the casting for every details. Now let’s go to Rolling Machine”.
The silver bar is rolled a couple times to thinner out, in order to make it easier to shape or texture. The bench hammer is used carefully and delicately to smoothen out the surface. Silver casting and rolling are the most important steps; details cannot be formed or carved if the silver turns out too thick. Annealing process is another crucial step. Uncle explains:
“It is essential to anneal the silver throughout the job to keep it from cracking. By heating it gently and precisely, the fire relaxes the internal structure which makes it easier to shape the silver”.
Uncle is in the middle of making my favorite piece, the “MAY” necklace.
He continues using the hand torch (by consisting stepping on the gas pedal) to secure the V shape detail onto the sphere. The room falls into a moment of silence as Uncle patiently works on the details. He is in full focus; the tweezer moves steadily in his magic hand. I hear the fire, I feel the heat, I witness his talent.
“It usually takes me at least 2 days to complete a necklace like this, it’s pretty labour intensive” - He breaks the silence. “The filing, buffing, polishing are straightforward but I never underestimate the importance of them.”
