Bali Silver Crafts in Beratan village

The development of tourism business in Bali has a great impact on the development of crafts industry in Bali, especially in Buleleng. The tourists are usually interested in unique and particular crafts produced in a specific area. Then they bring the crafts to their country as gifts or as decoration in their house. There are also some tourists who buy crafts then they sell it again in their country. Also, there are many craftsmen in Bali who have succeeded in exporting their crafts abroad.

Small industries are the starting point of the big craftsmen beginnings. They used to create crafts just as side job, just to have other source of income. Then, due to the increasing number of crafts order; the small industries then grew to be bigger crafts industries. It also happened to the small crafts industries in Beratan village.

Beratan village is a village in Buleleng, located about 1.5 km to the south of Singaraja. The village area is about 14,765 hectares. Geographically, Beratan is situated on 200 m above the sea level; make this village to be categorized as lowland village. Beratan has great potential craft that is silver crafts. The varieties of the silver crafts in Beratan are jewelries, ceremonies paraphernalia, and household equipments. The development of the silver crafts production is supported with ability and skills in outlining silver bars that the craftsmen have got from their ancestors.

At the beginning, the crafts industries in Beratan were only aimed at creating ornaments or decorations to the ceremonies paraphernalia, then it develops into home industry. Actually, there are other villages in Bali, which are popular to its silver crafts production such as some villages in Gianyar regency. However, silver crafts from Beratan are popular due to its unique ornaments like plants, animals, nature, and also religious symbols. The craftsmen used to produce the crafts at home; the customer who wanted to have the crafts should come to the craftsmen’s house. After some time, there are many customers came and it persuaded a craftswoman, namely Ni Nyoman Regep to open an art shop called Samayaji on the main road in Beratan village.

There, she displayed her crafts and sold it to the customers. Her pace was taken by other craftsmen who then also opened art shops on the main road in Beratan village which is also the main road of Singaraja to Denpasar, makes it easier for the customers to get silver crafts they want. There are about 40 craftsmen in Beratan village now.

The silver bars as the basic material of the industry is brought all the way from Kalimantan. Once a month the craftsmen have to go to Denpasar to get it. The processes in creating the silver crafts are not so easy. First, the silver bars have to be molten into tiny little silver seeds. Then, the silver seeds are carved and shaped into what the craftsmen want it to be. What make it easier is the tools used in the process of shaping the silver are modern tools. The varieties of silver crafts made by craftsmen in Beratan village are:

1.  Ceremonies paraphernalia: bokor, saab, sangku, bathil, keroncongan, gongseng, ceper, caratan, and dulang.
2. Household equipments: spoons, forks, pots, and trays.
3. Jewelries: bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, and broses.
4. Home decoration: carvings, match boxes, masks ornaments, and etc.

The products of the crafts industries in Beratan are marketed in Singaraja, Denpasar, and the surrounding areas. Through silver crafts business, the people in Beratan village can improve their economic condition. Moreover, their silver crafts quality is as good as other silver crafts in villages more famous for the silver crafts, like Gianyar.