2-Piece Desk Set: Masterpiece Najeon Gold-Trimmed Chrysanthemum Roof-Tile Pen Case in Red + Business Card Case (Master Artisan Kim Yong-gwan)

Overview

Same red-lacquer desk pairing — pen case plus business card case, gold-toned edging — but the roof-tile roundel is filled with a chrysanthemum instead of a peony. The difference is easy to see once you know to look: many thin petals radiating evenly from a centre, rather than the peony's few broad, overlapping ones.

The tighter petal work gives the surface a finer texture and catches light in smaller flecks.

Heritage & Craft

Getting a chrysanthemum onto an object this small means laying shell slivers barely wider than a thread and keeping the radial spacing consistent by hand. Once set, the flower disappears under lacquer entirely and only comes back during the final polishing, when the artisan has to stop at exactly the right depth.

Chrysanthemum and roof tile are both endurance symbols. The flower opens in late autumn frost and stands for a long, resilient life; the eave tile has guarded Korean roofs against weather and ill fortune since the Three Kingdoms period. Together they read as durability rather than abundance.

Artist

Made by Kim Yong-gwan, a Korean master craftsman working in najeon inlay.

Specifications

• Material: lacquered wood, natural mother-of-pearl inlay, gold-toned trim
• Motif: gukhwa-giwa, chrysanthemum in the roof-tile register
• Colour: red
• Set contents: 2 pieces — pen case and business card case
• Origin: Handmade in South Korea
• Brand: K-Crafts | Code: KS-P0000GTH

Gifting

Because the chrysanthemum reads as longevity rather than wealth, this set lands well for a long-service award, a mentor's retirement, or a senior colleague where a prosperity motif would feel presumptuous.