Sesotunawa

This brass smith is fiercely championing an old tradition - SilverKris

"Founded by T'boli brasssmith Joel Blunto with help from Davao-based Karl Sandino Lozano, this community-led display shop showcases traditional T'boli brass casting and sells handmade bracelets, rings, bells and windchimes with nature-inspired designs. Blunto, a 37-year-old T'boli native who has worked in brass since childhood and hopes to pass the craft to his children, uses a lost-wax process—shaping beeswax designs, building clay moulds with a spout, pouring melted brass, then pounding, cleaning and polishing—to create pieces that typically take about two days for a single bracelet or ring; one of his largest creations is a 15-inch bell made for a Catholic church. Historically brass items were highly valued as dowry or barter, but middlemen and modernization drove prices down (locally bracelets sell for about P30); the enterprise and its online sales aim to restore makers' recognition, help artisans price their work more fairly (the most expensive single item he sold fetched P10,000, about S$266) and widen market access. A physical display shop opened in Lake Sebu in February 2019 where visitors can browse the full collection." - Tammy Danan