Phnom Penh: Angkor Bullet Jewellery – A visit to the workshop

In my previous blog post I talk to Chantha from Angkor Bullet Jewellery about his life and what inspired him to start his social business, and in this blog post, we are visiting the workshop to see how the bullet casings are melted and transformed into jewelry.

Because of the long history of war in the country, bullet casings and bombshells are abundant. In the beginning Chantha went to find the bullet casings himself, but nowadays he also gets the empty bullets and bombshells from recycling stations.

Before the melting process starts, the bullet casings are carefully inspected in order to identify bullets that have not yet been fired. Those bullets are removed as they can explode when heated.

The liquid metal is then poured into a mold, and the resulting ingots are then turned into rings, bracelets, earrings or necklaces.  Chantha also uses different kinds of stones in his design. Some of the stones are natural stones sources from the provinces in Cambodia, while others are imported natural and artificial stones that the customers request.

Chantha seeks inspiration for the designs in traditional illustrations and decorations from places such as Angkor Wat, and he is not afraid to mix old patterns with new trends to obtain the unique, very contemporary look that characterizes his jewelry design.

If you are in Cambodia and want to buy jewelry, you can send Chantha and his team a message on Facebook.