Sparkle of Silver

Closeup of a salad spoon showing serpent images. the past reveal extremely affordable asking prices.

Obviously Ninkov doesn’t place much value on these items compared to the British sterling silver pieces in her shop. Perhaps this is attributed to the perceived inferior silver content in Kelantanese silverware as opposed to the British ones which are guaranteed to contain 92.5 per cent silver by the assay office’s lion passant hallmark. Personally, I feel that the Kelantan silver pieces have their own distinct identity and are far more superior in terms of artistic value compared to their rather plain looking British counterparts. A trio of neilloware cigarette cases.

My opinion happens to be shared by 19th century Malayan administrator, Frank Swettenham who was reported to have said that Kelantan silver items were as beautiful in form, as original in design and almost perfect in workmanship as anything of a similar kind found in the East. Naturally, as British subject, he stopped short of comparing them with those made in his home country!

In the midst of admiring the intricate pieces, I recalled a research paper written by renowned historian A. H. Hill back in the 1950s. Published in the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, it tells of Hill’s visit to the newly opened Kelantan Arts and Craft Depot, an organisation established to give the Malay silver work industry a timely boost in terms of marketing support and research development.

Apart from fixing retail prices that provided a reasonable profit margin for the craftsmen, the depot walked the fine line of both providing suggestions on contemporary designs as well as giving the skilled workers full freedom in using their time-tested traditional composition. This attractive arrangement had the local silversmiths signing up in droves. each silversmith worked according to his own time. While this drastically limited output, it inevitably gave rise to individual creativity that gaveKelantanese silverware its unique identity.

Interestingly, the more experienced craftsmen tended to work on their own or at smaller production centres. The relatively quiet environment allowed them to produce very delicate filigree work seen on brooches, pendants and bracelets. Hill felt that these products represented the finest expression of Kelantanese art.

Just like filigree work, the general process for making silverware was both laborious and time consuming. To start, the Malay craftsmen acquired pure silver in the form of finger-shaped ingots from Chinese dealers who traded in precious metals around Kota Bharu.

Back at their workshops, these refined silver pieces were hardened by alloying them with 10 per cent copper. This was achieved by heating the metals in crucibles under the intense heat of a forced draught furnace which received a continuous flow of air from two large side bellows.

In the early days, crucibles were made locally from river clay mixed with sand and padi husks. These, however, were very fragile and often cracked on firing. The silversmiths began opting for imported makes which became available in Malaya after the Second World War.

Despite the slightly higher cost, each of these foreign made crucibles could withstand at least 20 continuous meltings. That gave the silversmiths a considerably large amount of free time to concentrate on other more important aspects of his work. To make the crucibles last even