Kintsugi is an ancient Japanese technique that was invented around the fifteenth century to repair broken pottery using urushi (Japanese  lacquer) dusted with powdered gold, silver, platinum, or other precious metals. Beautiful seams of gold replace the cracks in ceramic ware. In our studio, the whole process is done with traditional, natural materials and ancient methods. The strength of natural urushi lacquer is better than that of synthetic glue, so the repaired piece will have almost the same strength as before the break and will easily stay together for the next several thousand years. Urushi is also not bothered by hot or cold water, acids, or bases––even a very strong chemical like acetone can’t damage its surface. Another benefit of the kintsugi repair method is that it is 100 percent food-safe. This is not generally the case when using synthetic materials and Western-style repair techniques. Gen Saratani’s studio offers kintsugi repairs entirely using traditional methods and materials. Please Email an image of your broken piece for an estimate of the repair cost. To see the process of kintsugi, please visit our Kintsugi channel on YouTube