Journal Staff
If you’re in Palau, try to stop by the Koror Recycling Center, which is offering a new and more delicate take on upcycled glass.
For more than a decade, Belau Eco Glass, located in downtown Koror, has provided unique glass pieces as gifts or keepsakes of Palau. Used wine and beer bottles are cleaned, ground down into sand, then fired in the kiln into a mass that the artist blows, twists, and manipulates into clear stingless jellyfish, metallic sheened manta rays, delicate pink elilai or plumerias, or multi-colored vases and bowls.
What makes the work of Belau Eco Glass unique is that sand made from different glasses aren’t as easy to work with as the sand sold for the purpose of glassblowing.
Artists like Shoko Williams are paring their artistic visions into colors and designs that bloom into dainty earrings.
“I work with other artists,” she said. “If they (are working with) colors I like, I take little pieces of their glass and then I bake them … and mix them together.”
One of her popular designs may not come as a surprise as they are a light blue rectangular shape with a golden disc, in the image of the Palauan flag.
The earrings and other jewelry like pendant pieces have recently appeared at the Night Markets hosted by the Palau Visitors Authority every other Saturday and the Koror Night Markets hosted by the Koror State Government every other Friday night.
If you’d like to see the process, Belau Eco Glass provides hands-on glassblowing workshops where participants can learn various techniques. These workshops contribute to the center's mission of promoting sustainable tourism and supporting local economic development.
By visiting Belau Eco Glass, purchasing its products, or participating in workshops, individuals support environmental preservation, job creation, and sustainable tourism initiatives.
To learn more, visit online at facebook.com/BelauEcoGlass. To book a glassblowing class or to arrange a visit, contact Belau Eco Glass at +680-488-8076 or +680-488-8077. Classes are available for $65 per person and include a tour and hands-on experience. Advance bookings are recommended to ensure availability.
PariSco Patisserie opened its third location at the Macheche Plaza in Dededo.
The cafe and bakery held a soft opening on Feb. 18, welcoming guests with coffee and treats with flavors from Europe and Asia.
Through the month of March, PariSco will be offering Mes CHamoru inspired, latiya and coconut flavored coffees, frappes, macarons, and its signature mochidonuts.
PariSco has one store in Tamuning and one in Yigo, according to Journal files.
Also, Crab Daddy is opening a second location in the Holiday Resort Guam. mbj