Eggshell mosaic vase, 'Hourglass'

Drifting slowly downward like sand in an hourglass, delicate flakes cover a dark lacquered surface. Nantana Sompamitre crafts an exquisite vase, sculpted from mango wood and adorned with an eggshell mosaic. Once the mango wood is carved into the desired shape it is coated with lacquer. Once dried it is polished, and another coat is applied � up to twenty times � before as many six coats of pure lacquer are present. The final layer is polished with powdered fired clay. Next, eggshells are cleaned and cracked into small pieces. Sompamitre arranges them in the desired pattern on fresh coat of lacquer. The piece is lacquered twice more and sanded in water until the eggshells appear.