Kintsugi (金継ぎ), or Kintsuguri, is an ancient Japanese craft, indeed an art, used to repair broken pottery by means of silver or gold seams. It probably started as a way to repair valuable tea bowls and make them usable again.
The purpose of Kintsugi is not only to repair and make usable again, but to incorporate a break as part of the history of the object. By highlighting the break and repair, the integrity of the object is preserved and its beauty is enhanced. Thus Kintsugi has the motto “More beautiful for having been broken.” (Read more for a fuller explanation.)