Last Christmas, some friends and I took advantage
of an airline promo, booked our tickets to Bali, Indonesia, and looked forward
to our weeklong Eat, Pray, Love-inspired
adventure. As soon as April rolled around, we started counting down the days to
our April 23rd lift off.
We arrived in Denpasar bright and early in the morning and immediately headed inland towards Ubud, the home of rice paddies, arts, culture, and a pretty swinging hippie scene. As this would be my first time in the Island of the Gods, I was all set to make the most of my experience. At the top of my list: a silver crafting class at Chez Monique (www.chezmoniquejewelry.com/).
We arrived in Denpasar bright and early in the morning and immediately headed inland towards Ubud, the home of rice paddies, arts, culture, and a pretty swinging hippie scene. As this would be my first time in the Island of the Gods, I was all set to make the most of my experience. At the top of my list: a silver crafting class at Chez Monique (www.chezmoniquejewelry.com/).
When my friend Lia inquired online, she was
told that classes are held every day at 9 am. Since we spotted the Chez Monique
shop on our way to our first Bali meal at Bebek Bengil (for crispy duck!), we
figured we were good to go, and booked our car for an 8:45 pickup the next
morning. Of course it would have been a good idea to sign up for our slots, but
well, we didn’t.
walked across the street to Confiture Michéle to say hi to Wayan who ran the crepe and jam shop, and had been super friendly when we popped in the day before. Wayan actually means firstborn, and Ubud is filled with Wayans, Mades (second born), Nyomans (third) and Ketuts (fourth). We ordered soursop and kombucha shakes which Wayan gladly whipped up.
At this point the Chez Monique shop was still closed, which was cause for growing concern even if we were on Bali time—so Wayan went over to the store next to Chez Monique, yelled until they opened up, and asked them to call the owner. Within 15 minutes a tall man with a wide smile drove up in a mini van and Wayan excitedly pointed to him crying, “Monique! Chez Monique! He’s the owner!” In our excitement Lia, Marcie, and I promptly cheered saying, “Yay! Hello, Monique!”
At first we thought we were on Bali time! |
Turns out a) we were supposed to reserve our
slots the day before, b) we should have proceeded to his family compound where
the classes are actually held, and c) his class was filled up for the morning.
Upon seeing our unmistakable disappointment (not to mention our friendly
harassment), he agreed to take us to the workshop, explaining that we would
first spend time working on our designs then could start crafting when the
others were done. We piled into his car and began peppering him with questions:
So, Monique, how many students do you have? Oh, so the class is in your
compound? Who else lives there? Monique, if we would like to live in Bali,
where can we stay? Monique’s responses were informative, animated, and most of
all sincere. It seemed as though we were becoming fast friends—or as good as
friends we could become in the span of a ten-minute car ride.
At the compound, we walked past a maze of homes
until we got to his where the workshop was in full swing. Our “classmates”
were working on the rings, peace signs, and pendants. Across the board,
everyone was having fun, and everyone was working on a design that was deeply
personal.
Monique handed us several folders with
possible designs, served us some cold water, and introduced us to his wife…
Monique. At that point we finally realized that one should never presume a man
bears the same name as his shop. And that is how we met Wayan #2.
Step #1: Choosing Your Design
Lia already knew she wanted to make a ring
with an ohm symbol on it and came prepared with an image on her phone. Marcie flipped though the folders and after
some time, decided on a
necklace with a double infinity sign. I was taking longer than expected and even if my friends were encouraging, I started to feel secretly stressed inside. I knew I wanted to create something that symbolized the idea of love, but my sheet filled with sketches of heart rings and double heart pendants just seemed too literal. The more I drew, the more panicked and pressured I felt. Sort of like when you’re the last person in your group to leave a hotel room and everyone is waiting in the lobby with their suitcases. Ugh!
necklace with a double infinity sign. I was taking longer than expected and even if my friends were encouraging, I started to feel secretly stressed inside. I knew I wanted to create something that symbolized the idea of love, but my sheet filled with sketches of heart rings and double heart pendants just seemed too literal. The more I drew, the more panicked and pressured I felt. Sort of like when you’re the last person in your group to leave a hotel room and everyone is waiting in the lobby with their suitcases. Ugh!
That was when I decided to just close my
eyes, center myself, and draw what love seemed like. I squiggled away, losing
myself in the process. And when I opened my eyes, I knew I had my design.
I then had to render a smaller, simpler version to base my pendant on, and waited for Wayan to show me what to do next. But now I was thrilled with the prospect and glad I didn’t succumb to doing an eenie-meanie-minie-mo, or making something for the sake of it.
I then had to render a smaller, simpler version to base my pendant on, and waited for Wayan to show me what to do next. But now I was thrilled with the prospect and glad I didn’t succumb to doing an eenie-meanie-minie-mo, or making something for the sake of it.
Love = two souls joined as one. From inspired design (left) to practical interpretation (right). I asked Wayan to sign my sketch as well. |
Step #2: Making the Frame.
Wayan pulled out some thick silver wire,
measured and cut it, and showed me how to bend it into shape. When I had gotten
that just right, it was time to have my silver soldered. It was pretty
fascinating to watch but I stayed a safe distance away from the sparks, as well
as the acid the silver is dipped in afterwards—especially when I’d hear that
sizzling hissing sound!
Lending moral support from a safe distance! |
From there Wyan showed me how to file the
rough edges that formed where the silver was melded together. “It’s very easy,”
he said, “just like filing your nails!” He was nearly accurate—only this type
of filing took a little longer and required a lot more effort. I had also
decided that I wanted the frame of my pendant to be flat so I had to pound away
at the silver with a hammer. Wayan complimented me by saying, “Wow, you do most
of the work! Hardly any for us to do.” I think he was surprised with how
focused I was considering I could have stopped after a few photo ops!
Next I had to complete the pendant. This part
was a little tricky as it meant twisting a rather fine silver wire into swirls.
I did my best but also realized it would be wise to have the experts refine my
work. I had gotten so invested in the process by this point though, so I let my
back seat silver crafter lose and made sure the angles of the swirls were just
so. Haha!
My pendant went for one last round of soldering and was passed on for buffing. Then, ta-dah! I was done :)
My pendant went for one last round of soldering and was passed on for buffing. Then, ta-dah! I was done :)
Despite all the setbacks I must say that I
had a wonderful morning. I came away with a special piece of jewelry,
participated in a fun, new skill, made some new friends, but more importantly,
I allowed myself to relax into the moment. And as my short time in Bali was
already teaching me, I realized that sometimes, it is best to just let go. Doing so opened me up to a host of pleasant surprises—turning my experience into something funnier, more memorable,
and simply better than expected.
Precious indeed! What a wonderful experience!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Nyoman Jason! Thanks for being a part of it :) –Made Balik Tata
DeleteThanks for the share! Definitely wanna try this! Is it expensive?
ReplyDeleteGo for it! You just have to pay for the silver you end up using (they weigh it). I paid US$40 (roughly P1,600) and it was totally worth it considering I walked away with a unique piece of jewelry as well as a memorable experience :)
DeleteLoving your adventures in Bali...! Eat, Pray, Love...eat your heart out! ;)
ReplyDelete