The Sarja family has been dear to the hearts of BaliBooty for many years . . They are very typical of silversmithing families throughout Bali . .

While Sarja, in his fifties, is the talent of the family, and Wayan, his wife, does much of the silverwork, his son, Kadek, and daughter, Wayan, both have their customers, and provide the "business" end of the family, the ultimate profits of which are shared by all. Bali Booty (well actually YOU) are sending Kadek to business college, the first person in 11 generations to do so.

We were lucky enough to be invited to Sarja's son's (Kadek) wedding. Weddings in Bali are an imposingly complicated affair, during which each village plays host to the other to put on their part in the ceremony. Amidst much prayer, transportation logistics, and mountains of food, all of the villlage elders advise the prospective Bride and Groom of their responsibilities to their villages and each other. Having known Kadek since he was 16, Bali Booty was quite honored, and quite stuffed with food.

Both Wayan and Kadek now have babies of their own and soon Sarja (pronounced Sarjuh or Sarjoh, depending on who is speaking) will "retire" to the back house, leaving the business and work to the younger generation, though because of his remarkable talent, we suspect he will be teaching for years to come