This is an extraordinary story.
Our recycled bombshell range from Laos and Cambodia carry a powerful message of peace.
Few items in the world carry such historical significance.
Lao and Cambodia are not only two of the world's poorest countries but also two of the world's most bombed countries in history. What many people don't realise is that, even day, lives of Lao and Cambodian people are still threatened daily by millions of undetonated bombs and landmines that scattered around the country's farmlands.
Lao and Cambodian people are strong. They have survived decades of war, and now they are turning objects of war into objects of beauty. Nothing can send out a stronger message of peace and hope than these extraordinary recycled bombshell items.
It is estimated that it will take 800 years to eliminate all the undetonated bombs in Laos and Cambodia, but buying these recycled bombshell products can help hasten the process: each purchase supports landmine removal from 5 square meters of land. The farmer-artisans who make the products from wartime scrap metal earn a living for their families while bringing income and investment into their communities.
Q: How did people learn to melt the bomb metals?
A: There is a mysterious story about a man melting metals after the war and made spoons from them. A few men watched him, and the skill was passed from one family to another, from one generation to the next.
Q: Is collecting bomb scraps dangerous?
A: Each country has its own dedicated organisation that carries out skilled land clearings. The people there are well trained and experienced. Generating an income from recycled bombshell products help them to train more people to clear lands affected by undetonated bombs. These people have a very positive attitude: the bombs are here so we might as well do something productive with them.
Q: What is the process from bomb to jewellery/spoon?
A: The artisans use handmade molds, which are made of wood and ash from the fire. They make a square wood box and fill that box with ash or dirt, which is mixed with water. They make the shape - an impression on both sides of the mold - and let it dry to a plaster. When it's all dry, they pour the metal that they've melted from disabled mines in their kiln into a little hole, shaping out the piece. Once it's cooled, they sand it smooth - into a unique piece of jewellery/spoon.
Own a piece of history.
Spread a message of peace.
Wear something truly extraordinary.
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