Feature: Handcrafted jewellery in Bangladesh blossoms with Chinese materials

DHAKA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Customized to showcase the unique charm of each client, the exquisite craftsmanship of jewellery created in a village in Bangladesh presents an array of enchanting options in stunning Chinese materials, captivating not just the local market but also reaching far beyond the country.

Vakurta village in Savar on the outskirts of Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka is a town known for its fine jewellery and ornaments created by local artists using techniques handed down from generation to generation.

The artisans' fine craftsmanship is the product of deft hands and acute vision that were formed over years of painstakingly sitting on floors and polishing their heritage-based talents.

Raw material supplier Md Alek Chand said "Our technique and industry is truly rather ancient. However, as time goes on, our techniques often involve the use of a simple wooden worktable and traditional, rudimentary tools fused with modern equipment, such as blowtorches."

Chand also told Xinhua how Chinese products and materials help this traditional sector in the South Asian country.

Holding a brass material, Chand said "This is a brass plate, which comes directly from China. This plate is very useful here, and various products are made through this plate."

He further said, "Products you are seeing now are made with this Chinese material. The products that are made with this sell better in the market. Its acceptability is very high among our traders."

The area has become a hub for Bangladesh's custom jewellery in recent years as hundreds of dedicated workshops have sprung up along the winding lanes.

"Our village is well known as a jewellery village because most of our people here are involved in this work," Md Shamim Hossain, a jewellery trader in Vakurta village said.

"We all make new designs of jewellery with metal. We have to use most of the Chinese materials. For example, the pearls, lamps, stone lamps, and collets that can be seen here are all Chinese goods. All of these items, as well as some chemicals, are manufactured in China," Hossain said.

Chinese goods are cheap, and people can buy jewellery made here cheaply because of the low price, said the trader, stressing that the quality of Chinese products is fairly good and durable.

Almost every home in the village doubles as a jewellery workshop, and every family member is somehow involved in producing the unique artifacts that are destined for markets across Bangladesh and beyond, especially those in the Middle East.

Nayan Mirza, a visitor from Dhaka, stated that women love jewellery that is both beautiful and stylish and this kind of jewellery products are very popular even today.

"We've seen such jewellery be used by mothers and grandmothers since childhood, and still there is the enduring appeal of this jewellery," said Mirza.

"I'm very pleased by the gorgeous jewellery that our nation's artists are producing...I would say that the platform of the jewellery business is very good for our country. There is a good future," she said.