By Kamarul Ariffin Md Yassin
LANGKAWI, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- Items handcrafted from crystals are
considered exotic, and have always received attention. Many are used for
home- and office-decor.
Crystal-based handicraft pieces are more expensive than many other
handicrafts, as they exhibit such unique features as the ability to
shine and gleam.
Making handicrafts from crystals is not easy, however, so not many handicrafters are keen to craft them.
For crystal-based handicraft entrepreneur Kamarul Faizy Roslan, 41, producing crystal items needs patience and tenacity.
What's more, he said, the crafter has to endure heat of up to 1,400 degrees Celsius when making the items.
For a large-sized crystal item, the crystal glass-blowing technique is
necessary to form a shimmering type of crystal that will capture the
attention of buyers, said Kamarul Faizy, who makes and sells his work at
Langkawi Craft Complex here.
"If we want the crystal to be big, then the flame also has to be big,
and we have to blow (more) to make it bigger. If the product is small,
then a small flame is adequate and we do not have to blow (the glass) as
much.
"Glass and crystal come from the same source, which is silica. To make
crystal, the silica has to be turned into a high-quality matter, softer
and more resistant to temperature changes. Crystal is actually a
high-quality silica," he told Bernama.
HEAT OF 1,400 DEGREES
Kamarul Faizy said the shortest time it takes to make a crystal piece is two minutes, while the longest is two hours.
"Making crystal products is different from making ceramics," he said.
"In ceramics, we can stop at one stage and continue later. In contrast,
when making crystal products we have to continue until we finish.
Stopping halfway would be pointless.
"To make the raw material melt, heat of up to 1,400 degrees Celsius is
needed. For the end product, heat of 1,100 degrees is required," said
Kamarul Faizy, who hails from Batu Pahat, Johor.
He said crystal-making during the fasting month of Ramadan is carried
out at night, as workers may not be able to withstand the extreme heat
generated in making the crystals.
"Workers have to drink lots of water because of the intense heat, and
can work only up to eight hours. In order to meet demand by the
customers in Ramadan, workers have to work at night," said Kamarul
Faizy, who has been making crystals since 1995.
After a crystal item is crafted into a shape, it has to be placed in an
oven for two hours for "cooling off" before ending up as a finished
product, he said.
Anaklangkawi :-
One of the main attraction for handicraft lover to Langkawi. Its quite rare skill & rarely seen.
Come & see for yourself at Langkawi Craft.
