Student-grade colored pencils and professional-grade ones vary drastically not only in their price but how they're made. A set of 120 Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils costs $350, 14 times as much as a similar box of Crayola colored pencils. And some brands price their sets at over $550.
Buying a little over a kilo of fresh mangosteens in the United States can set you back nearly $80. This delicate fruit needs specific environmental conditions to grow, and picking the mangosteens at the perfect moment is crucial to ensure optimal flavor and texture, adding to the complexity of harvesting.
From American-made Martin acoustic guitars in Pennsylvania to handcrafted ceremonial gongs in Thailand, we traveled the world to uncover the stories behind how different musical instruments are made.
Japan is one of the leading producers of shiitake mushrooms. These mushrooms are notoriously difficult to cultivate on a commercial scale — especially when using the 1,000-year-old Japanese technique of growing them on logs.
Gamtae is one of South Korea's rarest seaweeds. For centuries, this earthy, sweet seaweed was mainly harvested and eaten raw by locals in the Seosan region.
Once a practical way to transcribe, calligraphy has evolved into a fine art. As the practice we recognize today spread across East Asia, countries like China, Japan, and Korea developed their own methods of creating high-quality calligraphy tools.
Calligraphy inkstones, especially elaborately designed ones, can cost over $5,000. While the traditional practice of using an ink stick and inkstone is less common now that liquid ink exists, the artistry and labor involved in making inkstones — for use or as collectibles — keep demand alive.
Luxury winemakers producing some of the most expensive wine in the world will pay up to $50,000 for a single barrel to age their wine. But not just any barrel — a foudre. A foudre is a massive wooden vat that impacts and preserves the overall taste of the wine.
Kanzuri is a traditional fermented chile paste that is exclusively produced in Myoko in Japan's Niigata Prefecture by the Tojo family. Before the family started selling the condiment in 1966, it was only made in small batches for household use.