East Java home to world class goldsmiths

East Java home to world class goldsmiths

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post/Surabaya

Why was the 2004 Indonesian Jewelry Exhibition held in the capital city of East Java?

Why was it not held in the national capital of Jakarta, still the center of everything (commerce, media, fashion trends), with Surabaya running a distant second?

Or, why not in Makassar, long renowned for its cheap, beautiful gold jewelry, or in Yogyakarta or Bali, also centers of jewelry production?

"Not many know that East Java is the biggest contributor of jewelry exports to the country's income," said Dhidhi Teguh Wiyono, an official with the province's office of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

At the event, there were at least 19 big companies and thousands of small and medium enterprises producing jewelry for export.

Data from the ministry show that the jewelry sector, employing thousands, could reach a production value of Rp 11.5 trillion. From January until May 2004, the total value of exports from East Java was US$28.2 million to Singapore, Hong Kong, United States, United Arab Emirates and several European nations.

Its export value accounts for 25 percent of the country's total jewelry exports.

Because of the potential, the local administration plans to build a center in the near future for the goldsmiths -- currently scattered in Rungkut industrial area, Sidoarjo, Nganjuk, Pamekasan, Mojokerto and in remote villages of Madura off the East Java coast.

"We are currently studying the feasibility of this plan. The state-run 10 November Surabaya Institute of Engineering (ITS) is helping us conduct the feasibility study," Dhidhi told The Jakarta Post.

Last year, a similar exhibition was also held in the provincial capital and the event jacked up income from the jewelry trade, particularly silver.

For gold, the Indonesian manager of the World Gold Council (WGC), Leo Hadi Loe, said the price trend fluctuated wildly.

"Our gold exports this year dived 40 percent compared to the previous one," said Leo.

He hoped that more exhibitions would be held in Surabaya, in order to allow the smaller enterprises to showcase their works and establish contact with a broader commercial network.

In terms of designs and trends, Leo believes that Indonesia in general and Surabaya in particular could compete globally.

But how many of us realize that a stunning, glittering piece of jewelry we are wearing actually came from the scruffy workshops of goldsmiths and silversmiths scattered around Surabaya and surrounding towns?

Some 50 kilometers southwest of Surabaya in Trowulan is Bejijong village, a center for small-scale goldsmiths and silversmiths. They create beautiful crafts and jewelry using simple and traditional tools, a tradition passed down from their ancestors.

This time of year is particularly busy as traditional goldsmiths and silversmiths have to deal with doubled orders, having to work overtime to get them done on time.

Soegeng Prayitno has registered a 10 percent increase in orders of silver statues for Bali souvenir shops.

The Bali orders include statues of eagles, whales, crocodiles, lizards and elephants.

Soegeng and his craftsmen also make bracelets, necklaces and rings with traditional motifs, from temple reliefs to busts of Majapahit rulers like Raden Wijaya or Tribuana Tungga Dewi.

Most of his products are sent to Bali to be sold in jewelry shops and souvenir stores.

"For statues, we make the shape depending on the order but for jewelry, it's up to us to decide the motif and design," Soegeng told the Post.

Trowulan was once the capital of the Majapahit kingdom (1292- 1389 A.D.), and many ruins still dot the landscape. People in the area, like those in Bali, still have a strong attachment to the arts and culture of the former empire.

Soegeng and his fellow silversmiths continue the traditions of their ancestors. Although they are exposed to the dynamic movement in jewelry design trends, it is hard for them to leave behind the traditional motifs for more modern designs.

But then why go for that more modern style, simply because everybody is doing it, if the old one is still what people want?