A brief history... Graven Image

Balinese Handicraft

Graven Image was established in England in 1986 and originally sold Balinese and Thai Handicrafts via Trade shows and show room facilities in the United Kingdom.

Today Balinese handicraft are displayed in shop windows in almost every corner of the globe.

In the early 1980s most of the handicrafts available, were religious wood carvings, their origins buried deep in Hindu mythology, practised for centuries by the inhabitants of this Island. Images of Flora and Fauna were depicted in these traditional carvings. These religious effigies are what the popular handicrafts of today originate from.The emergence of the Balinese Handicraft on the global market are governed by two factors. Traditional carving skills of the Balinese and a ready supply of replenish able soft tropical wood. With the influx of tourism the Balinese carvers began adapting there skills to European and American design and finishing technics.

In 1992 the company initiated a direct buying service which enabled customers to purchase goods directly from manufacturers in Indonesia. Goods could either be purchased with a full container load or part container loads.

In 1998 Graven Image set up foreign company and based it's operation entirely from Indonesia.

Relocating to Bali has given the company the ability to be involved directly with the manufacturing process. This has resulted in a much deeper understanding of the local manufacturing methods and material resources. A knowledge of the local customs and habits are also very important factor in obtaining efficient production. Most of the production in Indonesian is "cottage industry" based, which involves small groups of families.

The influx of tourism in the 1970 & 80 s had a profound effect on the development of Balinese handicrafts. During those years there began to emerge an outporing of new handicraft designs.

The Balinese flair for colour & design proved these products to be winners. The ability to take local raw materials and put these to incredible effect is evident. At the end of the day it is the Balinese skills and talents that shine, we are merely the commercial agents in the marketplace for these skills.

Further to this Balinese people are devout Hindus and have divide their time between working and carrying out their religious in practices. Their lifestyle has a very direct bearing on manufacturing output. As buying agent the company often has to work around the those times when for instance a local family, a village community, or even the entire population is focusing on a religius event.

By the mid 1990s exports of handicrafts from Bali had reached it’s “zenith” ,Balinese handicrafts became the “in thing” , displayed on the shelves of fashionable gift shops from Tokyo to San Francisco.

Our present activities.. Graven Image

By the end of the 1990s Balinese handicraft had reached the mainstream gift market.

High on our list of priorities is quality controlling. Almost all our activities are based around this single most important task, it is the corner stone of our service. At every stage of the manufacturing process we monitor the product for minimum moisture content, painting preparation and final checking for defects on the finished product.

By the end of the 1990s Balinese handicraft had reached the mainstream gift market. Unfortunately a radical change in the political climate of Indonesia took effect. The president and dictator for thirty years was ousted. This together with several failing regional economies ,lead to the near collapse of the Indonesian economy.

We have considerable understanding and experience in the retail & wholesale market. Putting the right product, at the right time, in the right place and at the right price is vital to success of any buying strategy.

The local currency plummeted dramatically...... Prospective buyers from outside Indonesia exploited the situation fully...Handicrafts could now be purchased for a fraction of there original value....To make matters worse pressure on suppliers caused them to over produce and the quality inevitably suffered...this resulted in further undermining the handicrafts as a product. How ever over the past few years we have seen a steady improvement in the quality and finish of “product”

We can provide a range of services to suit each customers need.

We can assist you in developing new product ranges for whatever buying season you need to target for.

Finally we have can provide a complete shipping and packing service through our facility in Bali, our aim is to see your goods reach your premisses on time and in perfect condition.

How ever over past two years we have seen a steady improvement in the quality and finish of "product"

A buyer looking to do business in Indonesia need look no further. We can provide transport, pre book accommodation and orgainze just about anything you need to see that you get to concentrate on the most important thing...Buying.

Today buyers all over the world still continue to buy handicrafts in Bali , the buying has become more specialized. Buyers now tend to focus on there “own brand” designs and diverse ”niche” marketing. Global marketing for handicraft is now as sophisticated as any other form of merchandising .The beauty of Balinese handicrafts is that it can cater for not only different tastes but for different markets. The appeal for natural made products will always exist as long as the skill and resources are available.