Cloisonné – copper and natural colours in splendid patterns. Cranes, lotus flowers, peonies, dragons and different trees are most popular.

Why not start with a 1.50 m. high urn,  featured in the movie Oceans 11? The neat price tag: 70 000 euro.

In China this technique dates back to the 14th C, and on visiting the factory, we could follow the work from simple copper vase or other object, through painting the pattern lines, gluing the tiny copper linings, painting with natural colours and then burning 7 times in 1000 degrees  – lastly three times polishing – to the final object ready for sale.

From tiny copper to finished vase

The glue is natural – even edible

The colours are also natural. We saw only women working here – takes small and steady hands

Tea sets are of course popular

Bracelets

Lovely vases

Some of my favourites were these tiny teapots with lovely patterns

If you have got some left over money, you can buy these two. The urns are more than 2 metres high and the price tag is: 300 000 euros – each. We were told that last year a Russian guy bought another two.