Metal Ore Crafts Worth Millions of Rupiah

As always, arts and crafts from natural resources are always appealing to the market. One good example is the crafts from metal ores. Metal ore crafts are considered of high esthetics and they are usually very durable.

We can learn from the life experience of a metal crafter from Boyolali, Johan Laksmana. He's been a metal crafter since 2003. With the skills he learned by being a metal craft apprentice for five years, finally he was confident enough to run his own metal craft business named Laksmana Art. "The prospect of metal crafts in the market is improving over time," he claimed.

For instance, a replica of the rafflesia flower can be made in various sizes, according to the order. Generally Johan makes rafflesia replicas with diameters ranging from 20 to 40 cm or more. "It's for wall decor."

The crafting of a 20-cm diameter rafflesia replica could take up to six days. While for bigger sizes, the work could extend to 10 days.

The price of a 20-cm diameter rafflesia replica starts from Rp. 2.8 million per piece. "The margin is around 10 percent since the price competition is quite sharp now."

He also does other metal crafts such as bathtubs, sinks, chalices, urns, toilet lids, reliefs, pendants, and even key-chains. The prices vary accordingly, from tens of thousands and up to millions of rupiah.

But sometimes business can be slow, and other times it could be over the top so that the income is never stable. "When it's busy, the monthly income from orders can be up to Rp. 150 million."