The Quiet Craft of Khmer Silver: A Morning in Siem Reap's Silversmith Quarter

A Morning Among the Hammers

We start early, before the heat settles over Siem Reap, and walk east from the Old Market towards Wat Bo Road. The traffic is light and the air still carries the night’s coolness. Somewhere behind a row of shophouses we hear it: a soft, rhythmic tap-tap-tap. That sound leads us down a narrow lane in Wat Bo village, where several families have worked silver for generations.

Siem Reap’s silversmithing tradition is old. During the Angkor period, silver and gold were worked for temple offerings and royal regalia, and the craft survived through the centuries in villages like this one. Today, a handful of workshops still operate here, making everything from betel boxes to earrings, bracelets, and small ceremonial vessels.

Inside a Wat Bo Workshop

We are welcomed into a small open-fronted workshop by a smith in his sixties who has been at the bench since he was a teenager. The space is simple: a wooden workbench, a charcoal brazier, a set of hand tools worn smooth by decades of use, and a jar of water for cooling metal. The smell is of charcoal smoke and warm metal.

He shows us the basic steps. Silver, often recycled from old jewellery or bought as small ingots, is melted in a clay crucible over the brazier. It is poured into a mould to form a bar, then hammered flat on a small anvil. The hammering is slow and deliberate; each blow reshapes the metal without cracking it. When the silver becomes hard and brittle, it is heated again until it glows a dull red, then quenched in water to soften it. This cycle repeats many times.

For decoration, the smith uses chasing tools, small steel punches with different tips, to press patterns into the surface. We watch him create a row of tiny lotus petals along the edge of a bracelet. It takes him about twenty minutes. He tells us a complex piece, like a repoussé betel box, can take several days.

Seeing the Work in Context

A few doors down, another workshop focuses on finishing. Here, pieces are polished with fine abrasives and sometimes gilded with gold leaf. The atmosphere is quieter, more focused. We are struck by how little machinery is involved. Almost everything is done by eye and hand.

If you want to see a wider range of Khmer silverwork, the Angkor Handicraft Center on Sivatha Boulevard is a good stop. It is a larger, more formal operation, but it gives you a sense of how the craft fits into Cambodia’s contemporary artisan economy. For a deeper look at traditional metalwork, the small workshops around Wat Bo remain the most direct experience.

Getting there

Wat Bo village is on the east bank of the Siem Reap River, about a ten-minute walk from the Old Market. Head east on Wat Bo Road, then turn into any of the small lanes on your left before you reach Wat Bo temple itself. Several silversmiths work from their homes; look for open doors with a workbench visible. Tuk-tuks can take you there for a short ride from most central hotels. The best time to visit is between 8am and 11am, before the midday heat and when most smiths are at their benches. Ask your host or guesthouse to point you to a specific workshop, as signage is minimal.

Good to know

• Bring small notes if you plan to buy. Many workshops do not accept cards.
• Ask before taking photographs. Some artisans prefer not to be filmed while working.
• Wear easy shoes. The lanes are unpaved in places and can be dusty or muddy depending on the season.
• If you want to commission a piece, allow at least a few days. Complex work takes longer.Staying in Siem Reap? Bungalow 1955 is nine private apartments around a shared pool, minutes from Angkor — enquire about dates.