JUST over a century ago, a young pewtersmith named Yong Koon took the tools of his craft and sailed across the South China Sea to join a new settlement of Chinese tin miners at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
There, Yong Koon used the tin in fashioning traditional pewter items such as teapots, wine cups and incense burners, which he peddled from door to door.
Business flourished and Mr. Yong's modest workshop became the foundation for what is now the Selangor Pewter Company, one of the largest pewter companies in the world; it is run by Mr. Yong's four grandchildren and employs 15 artists and 400 workers.
The company, which takes its name from the Malaysian state of Selangor, has an annual output of roughly one million pieces. Two-thirds of Selangor pewter is sold overseas, with Australia the largest market.
Selangor Pewter's work is solid and durable. The line includes some 1,000 items, such as silvery coffee and tea sets, satiny goblets, antique-finished tankards and sculpted figures from Chinese astrology.
There are elongated, shiny vases that seem poised to shoot into space. Trinket boxes have a soft matte finish and have carved Malay motifs, such as the orchid or acanthus leaf.
Desk accessories - ink stands, memo holders, table clocks, and the like - are a handsome combination of brilliant pewter and tropical wood.
The 100th anniversary of Selangor Pewter was marked in 1985 by the National Museum in Kuala Lumpur with an exhibition of fine pieces as well as samples of the founder's early work.
The company has received a number of awards, including the Malaysian Product Excellence Award for 1987 and a gold medal at the Leipzig International Fair in 1984.
And it has made the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' by producing the world's largest tankard, weighing 3,432 pounds, shown at Expo '86 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Most tours of Kuala Lumpur's environs include a visit either to Selangor's factory in the Setapak industrial zone, or to the Selangor showroom on the outskirts of the capital.
At both places, after a brief introduction, visitors see a demonstration of pewter being cast, hammered and polished. Then they are free to browse, see the latest Selangor creations and make purchases.
Malaysia is the world's leading producer of tin, the major ingredient in pewter. Selangor pewter is composed of 97 percent tin, the rest copper and antimony, a proportion said to the the highest quality pewter.
Known since Roman times, pewter was often used for goblets because it was said to improve the taste of wine.
Because its insulating quality kept wine at the proper temperature, pewter was the preferred material for the taster's cup.
Roman pewter, however, contained as much as 20 to 30 percent lead, now known to be a toxic metal. Since the 1970's, most manufacturers have stopped using lead.
The process for making pewterware is essentially the same today as it was in Yong Koon's day. Pure tin is mixed with its additional components in a large cauldron and slowly melted.
The molten metal is poured into steel casting molds, one for each of a piece's components - base, handle or lid.
Each part is filed to remove the rough edges and cleaned with a steel blade. Then the parts are soldered together and the final product is polished with fine steel wool or a tropical leaf known as stone leaf, or both.
Over the years, pewter fashions have changed. Selangor Pewter was long known for products with either a satiny or dull antique finish.
In 1979, the company brought out a new line of products with a brilliant finish, looking much like silver but tarnish-resistant and more moderately priced.
Observers could mistake some pieces for silver but for the Selangor Pewter's distinctive mark: ''Pewterer, Hammer and Anvil.'' A table set for two, with brilliant pewter candelabra, goblets, plates and napkin rings looks like a setting of the finest silver.
A visit to the Selangor showrooms reveals the many facets of pewter. The Royal Collection received its title when the Sultan of Selangor conferred Royal Pewterer status on the company in 1979, in recognition of its new brilliant line.
For example, the four-piece Queen Anne Coffee/Tea Set with a mirrorlike sheen and traditional English design, includes a one-and-three-quarter-pint pot holding, a sugar bowl, creamer and tray, selling for about $238 (prices are based on a rate of 2.5 Malaysian dollars to $1). A comparable set in silver would cost about three times as much.
The Royal Collection is an unusual combination of pewter and crystal. A wine goblet of Bohemian crystal mounted on a pewter stem costs $18 and a champagne flute about the same.
For those who prefer more contemporary lines, Selangor recently initiated a series of designer-label pewter.
The first designer was Gerald Benney, former professor of jewelery and silversmithing at the Royal College of Art in London.
A graceful silvery set for liqueur or sherry from the Gerald Benney collection, with six goblets and a round tray, sells for around $135.
Selangor has introduced in Europe its second designer collection by the Danish artist Erik Magnussen, but it will not be available in Malaysia until the middle of next year.
Other table pieces in the Satin collection have sleek, modern lines. A tall two-and-a-quarter-pint pitcher is about $52, a squat one-and-three-quarter-pint water jug is $39, a slender 10-inch vase is under $20 and an 8-inch single-bloom vase is $14.
Plain goblets vary slightly in size and price with a four-ounce Sherry goblet priced about $13 each, a five-and-three-quarter-ounce wine goblet for under $15 and an eight-ounce water goblet for about $16.50.
For chess enthusiasts, the Camelot set comes with pieces representing King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table.
The two sets of pieces are identical but one side is of silvery pewter and the other with a dull, darker finish. The set is $198.
The Antique Collection features tankards of all kinds, all with a dull finish.
There is the large, rounded one-pint vessel inspired by 17- and 18th-century Dutch drinking flagons with domed lid, at $40.
Another three-quarter-pint tankard, reminiscent of the sturdy, uncovered vessels of 18th-century Georgian England, is priced at $24.
Selangor has long produced pewter pendants from the Chinese zodiac. A one-inch pendant with the Chinese character for dog, dragon or other sign sells for about $5.
The company's products are also sold in some hotel arcades, gift shops, department stores and handicraft centers around Malaysia.
Selangor pewterware is considerably more expensive abroad, and one and one-half to two times higher in the United States. BUYING SELANGOR PEWTER
There are no United States Customs regulations limiting bringing in pewter to the country. Direct From Selangor.
The Selangor Pewter Showroom is at 101 Jalan Genting Kelang, Setapak; telephone 4232803.
Open Monday through Saturday 8:30 A.M. to 4:55 P.M.; Sundays and holidays 9 A.M. to 4 P.M.
The Selangor Pewter Company factory and head office is at 4 Jalan Usahawan Enam, Kasawan Perindustrian Setapak; 4231633. Open Monday through Friday 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.
Other Outlets
Selangor displays can be found at the Central Market, a handicraft center that is open each day from 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. There are also Selangor showrooms in s the Pan Pacific Hotel Shopping Arcade, Jalan Putra (03-4421784) and the Hilton, Jalan Sultan Ismail (03-2485104). - M. H.
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