Mandarin ducks meant marriage long before this scarf existed.
For your twelfth anniversary, the silk one.
In Vietnam a pair of mandarin ducks has stood for a lasting marriage since the ducks were set on palace roofs. This scarf puts two of them under one lotus.
The traditional US gift for a twelfth anniversary is silk, and most people have no idea. Brown and blue is the quiet colorway: 100% Grade 5A mulberry silk, 16 momme, printed by hand on both faces, hand-rolled edges.
12 Silk anniversary
2 Ducks
16 Momme
We pay the import duty, not you.
Free US shipping on the 26, 36 and 44 inch. The 22 inch is a flat $20 to ship. Allow 1 to 3 business days before it leaves Hanoi, then 9 to 15 business days to the door.
What the ducks say after twelve years
Mandarin ducks pair. A pair on a roof was not decoration but a wish, for a marriage that held and a household at peace.
The source is the Thang Long citadel in Hanoi, where excavations turned up named roof tiles: the lotus tile and the mandarin-duck tile, from the Ly and Tran Dynasties.
The lotus underneath adds the rest. A Vietnamese saying has the lotus growing from mud without taking its smell. Read here, it means staying true through years that were not always easy.
Brown and blue says all this without making the evening an event. It suits a long marriage that no longer needs to announce itself.
Which size for your wife
22 in
$75 |
A bag scarf or ponytail wrap. Too small to wrap her hair or cover her shoulders. |
26 in
$97 |
Headband, neck knot, ponytail wrap. The size we suggest if you are unsure. |
36 in
$153 |
Head wrap, turban, shoulder cover. Feels significant for a milestone anniversary. |
44 in
$197 |
An evening shawl or travel layer. The anniversary trip size. |
For an anniversary, the 26 or the 36. If she is petite, avoid the 44 worn loose.
Is it real silk?
Yes. 100% Grade 5A mulberry silk. It was tested by an outside lab. That lab is the Textile Testing Center, Vietnam Textile Research Institute.
You can check it yourself. A small cutting of the silk is in the box.
Burn a thread or a corner of it over a sink, away from anything flammable, with no children nearby. Silk burns with a smell like burning hair and leaves a soft ash that crushes between your fingers. Polyester melts into a hard bead. It is a home check, not lab proof.
ELLE Vietnam and Harper's Bazaar Vietnam have both covered our studio.
I am no good at choosing things like this
Nothing to guess here: no size, no fit. The meaning does the work, and the story card names the motif for you.
If she likes brighter color, the green and pink version is the same drawing.
Why $75 to $197
The edge is rolled and sewn by hand. That is close to an hour, even on the smallest square. Both faces go through the press, one after the other. Every color needs its own screen and its own pass. The drawing itself was redone by hand from archive photographs.
Going from 26 to 36 inches nearly doubles the silk: 676 against 1,296 square inches.
The hand-rolled edge grows from about 8.5 to 12 feet.
Wear the 26 inch once a week for five years. That is under 40 cents a wear.
Everything happens in our own atelier in Hanoi. The parcel comes to you from there, duty paid.
Will it arrive by our anniversary?
1 to 3 business days of processing in Hanoi, then 9 to 15 business days to a US address.
Count back at least 18 business days, about three and a half weeks.
Anniversaries do not move, so order a month ahead if you can.
Duties and returns
Duties: we pay the US import duty, so she owes nothing at the door.
Returns: 30 days, unused, unwashed and unworn, in the original box. Change-of-mind return postage is paid by you. Choose store credit instead of a refund and we add 15%.
Who it is right for
Your wife, at twelve years Silk is the gift for the twelfth.
Your wife, any year The years between round numbers count too.
A long-married friend A wish for many more.
How it arrives
A rigid gift box with a matching bag. Inside, the scarf rests in tissue. A story card names the motif and its dynasty. An illustrated guide shows more than 20 ways to tie it. A care card and a small silk cutting complete it. There is nothing for you to wrap.
Sending it straight to her? Use her address for shipping and yours for billing. Put your message in Order Notes. We write it by hand on a card. No price appears anywhere in the parcel.
How to care for it
Every 3 to 5 wears is enough. Silk does not hold dust.
Cold water with shampoo or body wash, not laundry detergent. Squeeze, never wring. Dry flat in the shade. Iron on the lowest silk setting while it is still damp.
Specifications
| Material |
100% Grade 5A mulberry silk |
| Weight |
16 momme |
| Print |
Hand screen-printed on both faces |
| Edges |
Hand-rolled, hand-stitched |
| Motif |
Lotus Serenade (Uyen Uong Lien Ha), Ly and Tran Dynasties |
| Colorway |
Brown and blue |
| Sizes |
22, 26, 36 and 44 in (55, 65, 90 and 110 cm) |
| Tested |
Textile Testing Center, Vietnam Textile Research Institute |
| Made in |
Hanoi, Vietnam |
Also worth a look: Brown and blue, 36 in · Green and pink, all sizes · All Lotus Serenade
