VietNamNet Bridge – Wood chips seem to be useless, but Pham Nguyen Khoa, the owner of Lady Noname shop in HCMC’s District 1, has succeeded in using them to create jewelry and other items for decoration.

Jewelry and decoration items made from wood chips are on sale at Lady Noname shop in HCMC’s District 1 – Photo: Courtesy of Lady Noname shop

The items created from wood chips by Lady Noname are diverse, including bracelets, rings, necklaces, key holders, notebooks with wooden covers, and paintings printed on wood.

Khoa says he uses small pieces of wood discarded at wood workshops as material for making those products. However, the effort to create artworks from these tiny wooden pieces is huge as artisans must be patient and clever to make tiny patterns on wood.

The first step in the process is to polish wood chips to make a smooth surface. After that, the wood chips are covered with a water-proof layer. The next step is to carve patterns on the wood using a pen torch.

Apart from the skills of the maker, the quality of the products depends on how material is chosen. For example, Podocarpus imbricatus wood is the best material for making bracelets and rings as it is soft and easy to be cut.

At Lady Noname shop at 18bis/7 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, a bracelet costs VND220,000 (US$10) to VND240,000.    

SGT