Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics

Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics

Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics (closeup)

Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics (reverse, with label)

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

Foiled River Rock: Lacquered and Polished Vietnamese River Rock with Foil Graphics

About Vietnamese River Rocks

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About the items pictured on this site...

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