Royal Selangor Pewter
The Icon of Malaysia

The name Royal Selangor is well known among pewter enthusiasts and those in the pewter industry. It is reputed internationally for its high quality and craftsmanship, and has become the icon of Malaysia (boy...am I proud to be a Malaysian!).

Pewter items are made from the alloy of refined tin, antimony and copper.

Royal Selangor was founded in 1885, by a chinese immigrant by the name "Yong Koon". At that time, his tiny little pewter shop called Ngeok Foh, which in chinese means Jade Peace, handcrafted pewter objects mainly for chinese ceremonial use. Objects such as joss sticks holders, candle holders and incense burners for altars of Chinese homes and temples were handmade by him and his staff.

During the British colonial times, the range of products produced expanded to include tankards, ashtrays and tea services. By then, the brand was known as Selangor Pewter.

During the 1970s, the company expanded rapidly and starting exporting their products to Singapore and Hong Kong and then to Australia. Towards the 1980s, Royal Selangor Pewter products could even be found in Europe and Japan.

The company changed its name to Royal Selangor in 1992 to reflect its royal endorsement from His Royal Highness, The Sultan of Selangor, to reflect its diverse product range, which has extended beyond pewter.

Today, the company offers thousands of different tableware and gift items, from traditional tankards and tea sets to chess sets, desk accessories, wine accessories, and even photo frames. One thing is for sure when you purchase Royal Selangor Pewter products, the quality is assured.

Royal Selangor Pewter products are distributed worldwide from its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Up till now, the company has more than 40 retail outlets worldwide. The products are exported to more than 20 countries with retail outlets in London, Melbourne, Toronto, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Royal Selangor can even be found in exquisite stores such as Harrods and John Lewis in the U.K. and Wako and Mitsukoshi in Japan.

In 1985, to commemorate its centenary, Royal Selangor made the world's largest pewter tankard (recognized by the Guinness Book of Records). It measures 1.987 metres in height, weighs 1,557 kgs and has a huge capacity of 2,796 litres (for beer lovers, imagine drinking beer from it...that could be a few years worth of beer supply). The giant tankard has traveled around the world and been on display in countries such as Canada, Australia, Singapore and China.

If you want to find out more about pewter and how pewter is made, then you should make a trip to the Royal Selangor Pewter Visitor Centre.

They have tours organized for visitors who visit the centre. The tour begins at the gallery where visitors can learn more about the company's pioneering past and its transformation to a world-class company.

This is then followed by the Factory tour, whereby during this tour, visitors are show "live" the different pewter production processes - Casting, Filing, Polishing, Soldering, Hammering and Engraving, as well as the intricacies of making Selberan's fine jewelery.

The tour ends at the retail store where visitors can now buy Selangor Pewter products as souvenirs.

Another interesting activity worth mentioning here is the Royal Selangor "School of Hard Knocks" pewter smithing workshop whereby you can create your own pewter masterpiece using simple tools to craft out a pewter dish. You would get to experience the processes of forming, scraping, polishing and packing your own pewter dish.

What's even more interesting is that at the end of the workshop, the finished dish will be engraved with your initials or other personalized message and is yours to keep along with a personalized certificate to attest to your new found skills.

The workshop costs only RM50 per person and is open to groups of 5 - 50. Prior booking is required. Personally, I think this workshop is very well worth it because you get to make your own pewter dish, initial it and when you go back, you would have something to show off to your friends (haha)!

The Royal Selangor Visitor Centre is situated at 4, Jalan Usahawan Enam, Setapak Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan and is open daily from 8:30am to 5:30pm. Admission is Free.

For more information, you can either call them at +603 - 4022 1000, or email them at info@royalselangor.com.

Hope you enjoy your visit there!