How did you feel the last time a coffee mug slipped from your hands and shattered on your kitchen floor? I’m betting at the very least it was probably some combination of surprise and annoyance. If it was an heirloom or an otherwise sentimental piece, you may have even felt extremely guilty and disappointed as you swept up the shards.

In Japan, instead of tossing these pieces in the trash, some craftsmen practice the 500-year-old art of kintsugi, or “golden joinery,” which is a method of restoring a broken piece with a lacquer that is mixed with gold, silver, or platinum.