Country Article / Postcards
Import-Export Sure Shot in Chiang Mai
Date: 04/26/2005
"Aran Insom is a master metal-smith who creates unique repoussé artworks in silver, aluminum, and bronze. I bought two pieces from him directly--saving about $100 per piece, money that otherwise would have gone to middlemen along the way."
Dear International Living Reader,
Chiang Mai, Thailand’s ancient second city, is famed for its mammoth Night Bazaar. The hundreds of lamp-lit stalls are excellent places to pick up silk and traditional Thai craft bargains. However, Chiang Mai’s factories and workshops are even better--particularly if you’re an importer, in which case you’ll usually get a wholesale discount of at least 30% below what tourists pay. I'll give details of direct-from-the-factory shopping in IL's July print issue. But in the meantime I want to tell you now about Aran Insom, who I met in the sois (laneways) of the silver-smithing quarter around Wualai Road.Aran is a master metal-smith who creates unique repoussé artworks in silver, aluminum, and bronze. He learned the craft from his father, who learned it from his father, etc. Athough Aran has no son, the tradition will live on. He’s teaching his teenage daughter the craft. Using the smallest of tools, some no bigger than nails, he taps out an elephant herd on an aluminum sheet. No two scenes are ever the same. It takes around two weeks to finish an 8- x 20-inch decorative panel. The detail on his panels is astounding. Below forest foliage, you can clearly see the thatch on a peasant’s cottage...haystacks...the ridges on a buffalo’s horns. Even the elephants’ skin looks realistic. I’m not sure why, but Aran only uses sheet silver to create themes from Buddhist or Hindu traditions. I decided on two aluminum panels. Then the question was, "How much?" Nothing similar exists at home, so deciding what they’re worth is a guessing-game. We eventually agree on 1,000 baht ($26) for an 8- x 5½-inch elephant panel; 1,500 baht ($39) for an 11½- x 7½-inch pastoral scene. That’s the size without their rain-wood frames, which are included in the price. Aran says for "big order," you’d get a discount. Later, I discovered similar aluminum repoussé panels are sold to importers through Novica’s Thailand office (www.novica.com). An 11- x 7-inch (size unframed) panel is $64.95. Suggested U.S. retail price is $143.95. I got a bargain.As I point out in IL’s Import-Export Kit, you’ll never beat going directly to the source. This source? You’ll find Aran Insom at Walai Rd, Soi 5, Chiang Mai; tel. +(66)53-280956.Steenie Harvey
Roving Euro-editor, International Living
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