The woman inlaid with grapefruit and coconut gold, selling half a million dong a pair

On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2023, Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Phuoc (39 years old, living in Cai Khe district, Can Tho) decorated grapefruit, and coconut inlaid with 24K gold leaves. A pair of coconuts cost 200,000-250,000 VND/pair, and grapefruit ranges from 300,000-350,000 VND/pair.($1=24,000 VND)

Grapefruit, coconut display five fruits usually cost a few tens of thousands of dong/fruit, but when inlaid with gold, the value increases many times. Ms. Phuoc said that she learned the technique of gilding on fruits through a friend. After 4 lessons, she decided to buy ingredients to shape coconuts and pomelos for Tet. Ms. Phuoc said that she did not inlaid the watermelon with gold because the process involved applying glue to paste the yellow leaves, the watermelon skin was thin and easily damaged.

Before gilding, the fruit will be cleaned, covered with a layer of glue to stick. Wait about 15 minutes for the glue to dry before it becomes golden.

24K gold leaf is inlaid on fruit with size 9x9cm. Because the gold leaf is very thin, when inlaid with gold, you must be very gentle. The price is high, but compared to the emulsion paint, the 24K gold leaf has a very eye-catching iridescent shine on the fruit.

When newly inlaid with gold, the surface of the fruit is wrinkled, so Ms. Phuoc uses a brush to smooth it.

A grapefruit or a coconut usually takes more than 30 minutes to shape. The last step is to paste the letters and tie the bow on the left stem.

Although selling for the first time, Ms. Phuoc has had many orders to buy pomelo and coconut inlaid with gold. It is expected that this Tet, she will provide about 100 pairs of Tet fruits. From the profit, she will use a part to buy Tet gifts for people in need.