Motivated by the loss of his father in war, Chantha wants to remind the world that war brings nothing but suffering. GT2/Taing Rinith

Taing Rinith
June 19, 2020

“Back then, I noticed that some expats kept mortar and bullet shells in their homes or offices as decoration,”

At first, Chantha thought his father was sleeping, but when he looked closer, he noticed his father’s left shoulder and arm were mutilated. He learned later his father had been killed with a rocket fired by a Khmer Rouge soldier the previous night

“Jewellery making was one of the training provided by the NGO and it was also the hardest,” Chantha says. “But, I felt I had the talent for it, because I loved crafting beautiful objects.”

“Back then, I noticed that some expats kept mortar and bullet shells in their homes or offices as decoration,” Chantha says. “If they were kept as décor, why couldn’t we turn them into the beautiful accessories for people to wear? So I presented this idea to my boss, who approved it.”

When the jewellery which Chantha designed and made, using traditional decorative patterns or kbach using natural elements such as leaves and flowers, were put on sale for the first time, many foreigners, especially the Japanese, were not pleased with it.

“They thought what I had come up with was promoting the idea of war,” Chantha says. “However, when I explained my original idea to them, they supported me and bought a lot of my products.”

full https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50736117/f ... -jeweller/

From war to peace: Cambodian goldsmith turns bullet casings into jewellery
Reuters

PHNOM PENH, March 30 (Reuters) - Every week, Cambodian goldsmith Thoeun Chantha turns about five kg of brass casings of AK-47 and M-16 bullets into jewellery.

For more than two decades, the 42-year-old, whose father was killed during Cambodia's years of war, has run a workshop to turn symbols of violence into what he calls wearable pieces of art.

"I'm a victim of the war as a Cambodian who lost family members in it and now the world is at war too," he said.


[1/5] Jewelry made from bullet shells are displayed at Angkor Bullet Jewelry in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Cindy Liu*

"I make this to show that the world doesn't want war ... we all want peace."

The bullets are collected from shooting ranges and military training grounds around the capital, Phnom Penh.
Article, slide gallery*, and video: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/war-p ... 0/?rpc=401&