Each morning our artisans arrive at the studio, most of them by motorbike; they store their personal effects in their lockers and put on their aprons; they chat quietly as they settle themselves into a day of patient and meticulously detailed work. Most days they sit down to the piece they were working on the previous day.  They pick up their tools and continue where they left off adding square inches to an intricate surface of lacquer inlaid with eggshell, mother of pearl, abalone, gold leaf, or covered with beetle wings.

They will work for up to 50 hours covering a vase in the finest mosaic of pale eggshell inlay so that it looks like a beautiful surface of miniature shattered porcelain delicately held together with layers of lacquer. The reward for such patient work is the finished piece itself which by now has a character, a presence of its own, imbued with the energy of the artisan, and the life and soul of the natural materials that have been used in its making.

Most of our pieces have been made for a specific client, for a specific interiors project. The designer has been able to visualize how the vase, or the ceiling lamp, console or side table will glow like a jewel in the décor of the room, bringing the finishing touch, the accent that makes the whole room shine. Being able to see our pieces in situ is also our reward.

Then occasionally recognition comes from other quarters – the human fascination of visitors to our showrooms when we put the skills of our artisans on display as we did in Paris this past January – or a write up in the press – as we received just this last month in the New York Times thanks to an article by Yelena [read more] about eggshell and how it is used in contemporary design.

For many years Alexander Lamont has nurtured an almost obsessive passion for eggshell inlay and eggshell lacquer. It is the strongest and yet most delicate material. The work itself is satisfying as you push the little fragments of eggshell into place gradually building up a floor of intricate craquelure. But this is just the beginning. Finding ways to bring this ancient craft to life through colour, form, line and finish is where the fun really takes place. 

Alex used to work with eggshell makers in Vietnam but he found that there was always a certain static dullness to the results. This was caused by the ubiquitous use of MDF or composite substrates plus the fact that most of the ‘lacquer’ is not lacquer at all but one or other sprays from the plastic industry; acrylic and polyurethane were the most common finishes. All the eggshell handwork was being done on a nasty industrial product and then it was being covered with a nasty industrial product! No surprise that the eggshell felt dead.

Having seen the work of Japanese lacquer masters Alex knew that a whole other world of eggshell could be made with the right ingredients and process. It was this world of vibrant tiny, fragile, richly polished eggshell that he wanted to find and play with

Working with eggshell inlay requires skill and a meditative attention and eye for detail.

It is probable that eggshell was first developed to provide areas of white in lacquer work. It is almost impossible to make natural white lacquer. It has been used on Japanese sword handles and armor and numerous decorative pieces from tea caddies to hair pins to the accoutrements of the kimono. 

Eggshell is made entirely from calcium carbonate. This is the main component of many materials found in nature: rocks, seashells and pearls. Eggshell also comes from one of nature’s most beautiful and primordial forms – the egg. Our eggshell is mainly made from chicken eggs (sometimes ducks) that we buy from a bakery nearby.

In our workshop we apply eggshell lacquer to many things mostly using the inside of the eggshell. The mosaic pattern is achieved with a cracking motion using the ends of pointed tools. The concave side of the eggshell provides a small ‘cup’ that then fills with lacquer or gold creating a pattern. Once the eggshell pattern has been laid down, numerous layers of natural lacquer are applied to build up the surface until it is smooth and can be polished.

Eggshell inlay requires skill, meditative attention and an eye for detail in order to achieve consistency and a flow of movement in the pattern. One beautiful aspect of this material is that different people create very different expressions of eggshell as artisan and material work together to make each unique piece.

During the coming year we will be introducing a new group of eggshell lacquer vases that we think will delight and impress you – each piece a unique work of art made by a single artisan. It’s rare nowadays to find things made with such individual attention to detail through the day-to-day rituals of craft. Here at Alexander Lamont it is our raison d’etre.