VietNamNet Bridge - Everybody knows that gemstones are mainly used to make jewelry but in Yen Bai, gemstones are also used to make paintings. 

The Thac Ba lake area in the northern province of Yen Bai has been well-known for years with large mines of gemstones. Gemstones here are not only used as materials to make jewelry but also paintings. 

To have gemstone-made paintings, artisans must experience many stages. Thai Lan Huong, the owner of a gemstone painting enterprise in Yen Bai City, said: “Crushed gemstones are ground, cleaned and encrusted onto a painting. The price for gemstone paintings is ranging from several hundreds of VND to over one hundred million VND depending on the size and the kind of gemstone used to inlay on the painting”. 

A gemstone painting needs the labor of stonemasons and the skill and meticulous attention of artisans - painters. 

VietNamNet Bridge introduces in photos the process to make a gemstone painting: 

A gemstone mine in Tan Huong commune, Yen Binh district, Yen Bai province.

Exploiting gemstones at a mine.

Panning stone to find gemstones.	This gemstone is priced around several hundreds of thousand VND.
	Keeping gemstones in an iron box.

Gemstone quality is tested by a specialized lamp.

Quality gemstones are used to make jewelry.	The remaining is classified in terms of colour…
... grinded and...	... screened.
After that, grinded gemstone is cleaned before being encrusted on paintings.	Gemstone paintings are made based on already-painted works.

Firstly, glue is applied onto the painting.

Crushed gemstones are poured onto the glue.

 

Crushed gemstones are poured onto the glue.

The ‘painter’ must be very skilful and meticulous.

The ‘brush’ used to ‘draw’ gemstone paintings.

This gemstone painting (1.2mx1.8m) is priced at VND6.5 million (US$400).