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Thiva Boonnak

Thiva Boonnak speaks reflectively of her art amidst the scattered tools and the pieces in progress that fill her family's old-fashioned workshop.

"Chiang Mai designs are all special. Each one is unique and grandiose." Her soft words echo the proud sentiments passed on by her family generations before her.

Thiva Boonnak tells how her father taught her and her brothers the silversmith craft, and how he showed them not only the technical, intricate skills, but also transmitted the smith's labor of love. With such passion flowing from their hearts to their hands it is not difficult to understand why the work of Thiva Boonnak's family is so highly esteemed in Thailand. Her shop is located in the Wualai area, where prominent silver shops line both sides of the street.

The Boonnak's home witnessed the birth of silver crafting in Thailand at the turn of the twentieth century. At that point, King Chulalongkorn was patron of the arts and settled Burmese craftsmen specializing in Chiang Mai designs in the Wualai area. They shared the secrets of their ancient and intricate craft, which the Boonnak family has since elevated to its highest plateau.