Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics
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| Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics |
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| Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics (closeup) |
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| Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics (reverse, with label) |
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| Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics (reverse, closeup) |
Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics
Red River Rock with Dollar Tree
Label
About
Vietnamese River Rocks (from Fact Sheet):
Stones are selected from local rivers and
taken to a small workshop in Ho Chi Minh City.
First, the stones are
coated with a natural black lacquer coating, making them darker and smoother.
After the lacquer dries, the artisans begin putting four coats of a mixture of
the lacquer and iron oxide. Each layer may take up to a week to dry, making
this a very long process.
The stones are then
rubbed down, making the surface very smooth and level.
An additional four coats
of lacquer are added and left to dry before the rock is rubbed again, leaving
it ready for the application of foil goldfish graphics. After another coat of
lacquer is applied, the stone is polished to its familiar high shine.
Each stone can take weeks
to finish so the [artisan] group has many stones in different stages of
production at all times.
The Chinese words for
goldfish are identical with the two words meaning “Gold and Abundance,”
therefore, many Chinese keep goldfish at their home, believing they bring good
luck and prosperity.
[Note: I wonder if these artistic river
rocks were originally created for the Chinese market because of the goldfish
motif. How they ended up at the Dollar Tree, where they were sold in the 1990’s
(my two rocks are from the late 1990’s) for $1.00, is a bit of a mystery. It
seems like a lot of labor for something that was sold so cheaply ☹]
13.58 ounces
384 grams
Dollar Tree
York,
Pennsylvania
Late 1990’s
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| Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics |
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| About Vietnamese River Rocks |
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