THE BURMADE WAY
Engraving the Story
YUN & SHWEZAWA
This is where the piece truly comes to life. Using the traditional Yun technique, we incise intricate designs into the lacquer and fill the lines with color. Against a typically black ground, we lay down traditional reds, yellows, blues, and greens, alongside modern palettes like deep jade and smoky indigo.
Tradition & Today
At Burmade, we continue the classic division of craft: freehand engraving (ယွန်းဆင်) is primarily performed by our male artisans, while color detailing and line‑filling (ယွန်းခွဲ) are led by our female artisans. They work in close coordination to achieve absolute precision and depth. All roles are skill‑based and receive equal training and recognition.
Shwezawa (Gold-Leaf Design)
Select pieces are elevated with razor‑thin Mandalay gold leaf. The areas destined to remain gold are carefully sized with lacquer sap. After an hour‑long water soak, the excess leaf is gently washed away, revealing the shimmering, enduring patterns beneath.