Kintsugi is not a quick fix. It is a patient, deliberate act of attention whether you follow the ancient urushi tradition or work with modern materials. Both paths share the same intention: to honour what broke, and to make it whole again.
I prefer to add admiration of the original piece and it’s artist, where the true beauty originates from.
A contemporary approach using two-part epoxy adhesive, UV or polyester resin, and metallic powder (bronze, mica, or synthetic gold). Accessible, quicker, and ideal for decorative pieces. A genuine gateway into kintsugi for those starting their practice.
Before any lacquer is applied, the broken edges are smoothed with a rotary tool or fine file, a step called mentori. This creates better adhesion and ensures the finished seams sit flush. A thin coat of raw urushi lacquer is then applied to all broken surfaces with a cotton swab and left to cure in the urushi-buro overnight at (20–25°C) and 70–85% humidity.
Once cured, excess mugi-urushi is shaved away with a precision knife. Any remaining gaps or chips are filled with sabi-urushi raw lacquer mixed with tonoko stone powder to a mustard-paste consistency. For deeper chips, kokuso-urushi is used: mugi-urushi combined with wood powder to a clay-like dough. After curing, surfaces are water-sanded with 400-grit sandpaper.
Black lacquer is applied in thin, precise layers along every seam using a fine brush or fountain pen which is called nakanuri. Each layer must be cured overnight, then water-sanded until approximately 60% matte (first layer) or 80% matte (second and third). Three layers are ideal: each one builds strength, waterproofing, and the perfect base for the gold. Patience here determines everything that follows.
When the final nakanuri layer is 80% matte and the surface resembles an inkstone or a Go piece, it is ready for gold. A final topcoat of clear urushi is applied to the seams while still tacky then kinpun (genuine gold powder) is dusted on using a soft brush or cotton in overlapping strokes. Varieties range from #1 (coarse, brilliant) to #8 (ultra-fine, lustrous). The piece is then left to cure fully before a final gentle polish.
The traditional kintsugi process uses urushi, a lacquer harvested from the sap of the Chinese Lacquer tree, cultivated in Japan for over 12,600 years since the Jōmon period. Each stage requires curing in a humid wooden cabinet called an urushi-buro. There are no shortcuts. The process itself is the philosophy made material.
There is no urushi equivalent of instant gratification. Every cure cycle is a lesson in surrender, in trusting the process rather than forcing the outcome. Many practitioners say the waiting is where the real work happens. Not in the hands, but in the willingness to return, day after day, to something that is not yet finished.
Our studio pieces are ceramics we have sourced, broken, and restored ourselves — each with documented cracks, documented repair, and a small card telling the history of the piece and its second life.
We assess, repair, and return your ceramic using the traditional urushi method. You receive a full process record: materials used, cure stages, and the story of the repair. Pricing from €90 depending on damage complexity.
Kintsugi repair is unhurried work. Before anything begins, I need to understand your piece, what it is, how it broke, and what it means to you.
Share a few photos and details below. I’ll review your submission personally and come back to you within 3 business days with an honest assessment, a recommended finish, and a quote. Nothing moves forward until you’re ready.
I’m looking for potters whose work I respect to build something longer-term with. Whether that means repairing your kiln accidents, giving new life to pieces that didn’t meet your standard but still carry your craft, receiving pieces your clients have broken, or collaborating on something neither of us has tried yet.
A glaze that ran. A rim that warped slightly. A colour that came out wrong. These are not failures, they are the fingerprints of a process. Kintsugi doesn’t just repair breaks, it reframes imperfection as part of the object’s story.
There’s no fixed model here. Tell me about your practice and what feels interesting to you. I read every submission myself and will follow up within 5 days to explore what might make sense.