Sunday, January 24, 2010
RECYCLED PEKING GLASS BEADS
Friday, January 8, 2010
Xizhou Carnelian (Manao) Disc Beads
Here is a favourite bracelet of mine using the discs together with slender jade tubes
Jade tubes are not so old and maybe at most only 50-100 years or less.
Friday, December 18, 2009
JOY TO COLLECTORS !
Sunday, December 6, 2009
3 Prong Jade Ornament
This 3 prong jade ornament was purchased in China.
On the obverse side the damage is not so bad.
Do you see a sillouhuette or vague outline that is birdlike and seems nature made?
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Friendship Knots for Bi Lovers
My friend Q taught me this simple and useful friendship knot
Made in contrasting colors these knotted chains are handy for attaching accessories, especially for my collection of bis.The knotted chain can be attached to any bi (or other circular accessory) by using the larks head knot.
The necklace is completed wih a flat knot so that the length can be altered according to the outfit of the day.
Here are are my favourite bi accessories marking my love for jade, knots and bis.
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Parrot and the Pussycat
the parrot and the pussy cat did not go down to sea.....
.... instead they came to my home and I am their happy host. Here are the pair of visitors from the past :))
Both are carved from crystal but hail from different periods of Chinese culture.
This sleek Puss with the snooty expression is likely to be from the late Qing Dynasty, around 1874-1908AD. It sits on a flat pedestal which must have originally been intended to serve as a seal. However on this piece there is no carving on the flat bottom.
Many parrot pieces have been discovered in Shang excavations and the shape and bearing of this elegant fowl has the flavour of that era. So, methinks or mehopes that this is a late Shang/early Zhou dynasty, about 1200-1000BC piece.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Honey Color Cylinder Beads
I bought these honey-color, cylinder-shaped beads from a junkman in China. He could not tell me the exact vintage, just said "very old."
I have not seen them in any Chinese research material, and will like the junkman accept them as old. I am not even sure whether the stone is carnelian, agate or serpentine. Maybe as junkman says it should simply be called "yu"
I love their honey color and cool (literally) and smooth texture, so gorgeous to touch. Here are the cylinders tied with button knots into a necklace.
The central flat black bead has an eye decoration on it. Is the stone black onyx and how old?
On the reverse there are what look like traces of encrustation from some leather article. If this is not glued on, and it looks like not, then there is hope that this is a fairly old bead too.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
BRAIDS AND BEADS
Here's a friendship braid with tiny glass beads made by my friend Q. It arrived just in time for my birthday altho Q doesn't know nor meant it as a birthday present. It was entirely fortuitous.
She has been teaching me braids but not quite succeeding. I dont know why all my friends from M & M to Q produce lovely crafts and I am the odd girl out. I dont have crafters' hands, here is a specimen of my "maiden braid." Some maiden, looks like I have a long way to go.
Here are more lovely braids done by Q
Thank you Q ! Take a bow ! You have brightened my dark days, meanwhile I must jia you! jia you! :))
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Carnelian and Rock Crystal Necklace
I composed and made this carnelian and rock crystal necklace using button knots. Making this necklace, provided dual benefits, as I could practice tying my knots and completing it means I can wear my favourite beads.
The carnelian cylinders were purchased from a Tibetan lady in China. She couldn't tell me the exact vintage nor origin.
This shape is sometimes referred to as "bamboo " shape by the Chinese and sometimes "bulging at the waist " shape or "yao-gu-xing". I guess Westerners would say bi-conical. I have seen bamboo-shaped cylinder carnelian beads which have been provenanced to Western Zhou - Warring States (11-3rd century BC) in Chinese books, including Roger Chow's Sparkling Splendours, but I am not saying that my beads are ancient.
Lest I be scoffed at for false/misleading comparisons, I must explain that I am not drawing these comparisons to imply that my cylinders are authentic of the Warring States era. I have not seen many examples of these cylinders in real life, nor in books, (ah, alas the narrowness of my experience) and so it was interesting for me to come across the illustrations given in the Chinese documents. No ulterior motive intended :) Besides there are many other considerations apart from a similar looking shape to justify a bead as old/ancient, let alone belong to the fabulous Warring States era ! And for all I know my beads maybe new beads, new beads made old, old beads made older, antique, vintange, plain replicas, and many other combinations.
My specimen is in good condition and the stone if ancient is still shiny, the bead hole is rather large and the bamboo wedge shape is rounded, not sharp. Roger Chow's sample is sharp and so there's the difference. The walls of the bead are rather thin when compared to the size of the perforation. How did the tubes get so hollowed out ? Is this method of stone bead making peculiar to a period or culture? So the jury is still out on this pair of cylinder beads. And meanwhile they do pique my interest.
The central rock crystal bead is truncated, biconical, and faceted. It came from Myanmar and is likely to be Pyu about 100 BC to 840 AD or later.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
RECYCLING JADE 2
"Rather a fragment of jade than
a complete tile of clay...... "
was said by the fool or hero, depends on how you look at it, Jinghao of the Eastern Wei Dynasty.(534–550)
These words cost him his head, but nonetheless immortalized him, as his phrase has been quoted over centuries by outstanding Chinese men and women and all true lovers of jade. Guess I am stretching Jinghao's words a bit, rather a big bit, but it does seem a cool phrase/idiom to start a topic on recycling jade. No doubt Jinghao's words refer to the high moral quality of jade whereas my subject, by comparison is more trivial.
And here to illustrate the enduring beauty of jade, is this tiny jade fragment which has been lovingly recycled with knots, beads, another jade and cord to make a wearable necklace.
Friday, August 21, 2009
RECYCLING JADE 1
The birds in the tree

These miniature jade birds perching on the golden tree, were previously either haipin or button adornments for upper class Qing (1644-1912) ladies.
Thanks, Sit for the drawing of the tree.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Turquoise Turtle
Turtles have such long lives. They reputedly live up to 200years. But still I daresay none can be as old as this turquoise turtle of mine which I bought several years ago in China.

Most Chinese associate turtles with longevity, but if someone (especially the Hokkien clan) calls you Black Turtle Head, it is hardly a compliment. !!
My, turtle measures 4cm. It looks like it is swimming, with the head slightly at an angle and 4 legs sticking out. Its perforated at the tail and in the hole are concentric ring tool marks. There are also many marks on both the back and front of the stone.
Are these tool marks or are the marks natural to the stone ? Are the marks ancient or modern ? Looks like I am posing more questions than describing my piece. !
The stone is also weathered with damage on the back and on one side of the head.Its shell is flat rather than dome shaped and the carapace is etched with a criss cross pattern. OK, the workmanship is not great but the eyes peeping out under the shell, look expressive. And so to the eternal question - can it be a neolithic turtle ?? Sure wish I knew the answer. But meanwhile just enjoy, :))
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Hongshan style Cloud Pendant
Here is another Hongshan style pendant which was purchased together with the one in previous post.

I am not normally a collector of replicas, but this one is such an amusing, inventive adaptation of the Hongshan classic Cloud pendant, that I couldnt resist. The original Hongshan cloud pendant is normally represented by an abstract pattern. The forger/reproducer of my piece has copied the original design and added a hole in the upper left and hey presto it is a sweet little deer! This cloud pendant turned deer measures 3.6x1.9cm.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Double Connection Bi
Xuang lian bi is literally translated as Double Connection Bi. It is a shape orginating from the Hongshan Culture about BC.4000–3000 BC.
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But inspite of the story which gave me a good laugh, I still bought the piece though not at Hongshan price. After all its quite nicely made, the jade is an attractive pale green, and this delicate piece appeals to me as my normal preference is for small over big. I am also optimistic that it may be made by a Ming miniaturist after my own heart. A final advantage is that I can wear it as a pendant strung up with my personally hand knotted cord.
The shape also resembles the number 8, which for Chinese is considered lucky. So heres to "BA!" (8) aka "FA" (prosperity)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Jade Slit-tube (Jue)
This Slit-tube artefact measuring 2cm long is also a Jue.

According to a Chinese source (Chinese jadeware: picture reference dictionary p.061) slit-tube as well as slit-ring jues were in existence in the Chahai Culture, around 5000BC. However, J Rawson in " Chinese jade: from the Neolith" says that "The earliest jue, which are more like slit-tubes than slit-rings, are found in the north-east in the Xinglongwa (about 5000 BC) and Chahai cultures (about 4500 BC), which preceded the Hongshan (about 3800-2700 BC)"
Although tube-shaped jues are described as probably ear ornaments by both the Chinese source as well as J Rawson I am at a loss to see how this slit-tube can be worn on the ear without falling off. These people from the Neolithic cultures sure have baffling ornaments. !

My specimen is plain with no embellishments and I am thinking that it may belong to some early neolithic culture. Jues (both tube-shaped and planar) from the later Warring states period have elaborate decorations of dragon, bird or cloud patterns on their surfaces.
IMPO a slit-tube (jue) looks more like a bead that has been slit and a better name for it could be "slit-bead (jue)." !

"Concentric-ring tool marks" are also present in the crevice of the slit-tube.

Here is another view of the slit-tube:

Looking at the slit-tube from this angle, gives me a wild idea that the tube may be sliced into several segments to form a few flat slit-rings. Now thats another silly thought for me to chew on. Yum! :))
Friday, June 12, 2009
Mystery Guy



Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Belt parts
Here are 2 white rectangular pieces I got from my friend, the connoisseur collector. She didnt want them because she thought that they were not collectible enough. Maybe she's right, who'd want these dusty rectangles ? Yeah, but I the gypsy collector just grabbed them ! I am not known as Garang Guni for nothing. Heh! Heh!

Here's another belt piece which is also rectangular in shape and smaller than the above pieces. It may have been used as a "filler" or end spacer, examples of which can be seen in "Chinese Antique Glass" p.68. It is pierced on one side with two vertical holes and on the reverse side with two ox-nosed holes and the two sets of holes converge.
Monday, May 4, 2009
3 Faces Bead
And how foolish of me not to detect it. I had not looked hard enough and had thought the tiger heads were some trellis border (blush !)
There are three differences between my face bead/pendant and the one shown in Salmony's book.
1. My pendant is pierced at one end only while Salmony's is pierced at both ends.
2. My pendant is flat with identical carvings on both sides while the book example has a plain concave back.
3. The carving on my pendant is less stylised and dramatic than the book example.
Bearing all these differences in mind can my face pendant claim relationship and similar vintage, ie middle Zhou around 1027-771 BC ? Well, vintage considerations aside, it is still a real neat bead/pendant that intrigues.
And so my inscrutable "tygers" were you shaped by some "immortal hand or eye"? :))
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Utilitarian but beautiful....
The Chinese made jadeworks not only for decorative or ornamental purposes. They also made utilitarian objects with jade such as the two beautiful white jade earpicks I show below:

The longer one on the left has floral carvings while the shorter one has one end decorated with a bee motiff. Both have a well shaped scoop end for the earpicking function. They are likely to be from the Ming-Qing period.
According to some sources, earpicks serve dual functions that is they can be used as headpin cum earpick. So I guess ancient ladies stuck these elegant earpicks on to their equally elegant hairbuns or coiffure and when they need to, they would just tweak it off and clean their ears. Doesn't sound so ladylike to me and surprising for those distant times when ladies were delicate beings who moved around with bound feet. But perhaps they only did their ear cleansing rituals in their private chambers ?
IMPO, the scoop of the shorter earpick seems a tad large for putting into the ear. It would surely cause some damage, I would hestitate to put it into my ear ! So, perhaps its really just a beautiful ornament.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Beautiful Hands
These beautiful jade hands are sometimes known as Fut Sow (Buddha Hands). I got them at a closing down sale. They are kind of newish (10-20 years) and I would not normally buy such stuff. But as the boss was clearing lock stock and barrel I thought they look kinda appealing and affordable.


For fengshui followers, Buddha hand is said to give people a strong support and ward off bad energy.
The smallest hand on the right is holding a piece of flat jade as well as a tiny bead clutched between thumb and forefinger. Now what can this be symbolic of, I wonder.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Conversation with Eggheads, er, Beadheads...

These two sweet old beadheads are chit chatting under a crystal tree. One said "I am just a SWEET old bead" "Well better than a FAKE one " retorted the other. Words of oriental wisdom ? No just Murikami-style conversation amongst beadheads. Hehehe !!

Blue and yellow beadheads from China and Vietnam. Drawing on wood beads courtesy of S.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Amazing Faces of Zhulong

Here's a closeup :

With so much zhulongmania around, I too have finally gotten hold of a FAKE crystal zhulong, shown below. Wa, it sure looks ferocious and wild compared to Maddy's more genteel piece. I have a very bad eye that always sees wrong things, here I am about to make another strange sighting. Surely the zhulong shown here is looking like someone's grandma !! It brings to mind the famous exclamation, "... goodness, what big eyes you have grandma ?".... Hmmm, so is this a pig, a dragon or a grandma :)))

Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A Rainbow in the Sky

A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
White Jade Square

This flat white jade square with 4 holes was purchased on one of my China trips. This piece may have formed part of a jade belt or it could be a Pei. A jade pei is a pendant used in ancient times as a decorative ornament , stitched with silk threads to other items to form a belt or chateline.
The color is greyish white with low relief carving showing a pattern of interlocking long "S" scrolls and short "C" scrolls and the same pattern is repeated on both sides. There are small patches of white calcification on the surface and this whitening appears on both sides which maybe evidence of antiquity.These aging marks make me optimistic(though not postive) that my jade square may at least be Ming if not Han.
Using snake knots and Pyu green glass beads, I converted this last ramnant of an ancient jade belt or pei into a unique pendant necklace with a long history.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Spring and Autumn Necklace
I purchased these 3 long cylindrical crystal beads from China. The seller had said Spring and Autumn period (771-476 BC) which makes them 2773 years old. From my experience Chinese sellers like to attribute anything crystal to either Spring and Autumn or Warring States Period and sometimes Liao Dynasty. I dont know the real reason for this penchant but my guess is that there must have been many excavations of crystal beads and artefacts from tombs of these periods.
Incidentally, I have also come across a magazine article in Cultulral relics world no6, 2007 featuring excavations from Zhejiang Province which showed a whole pile of crystal cylinder-shaped beads which were provenanced to Spring and Autumn - Warring State period. So based on this flimsy evidence the date for my long crystal beads may be considered acceptable ? Sound like a 1/2 past six theory, even to my own ears, but this is the best case I can make out for it :))


There is something about ancient crystals which make me go gaga, although I am not really into new age beliefs, I guess they do have some kind of attractive energy. My knotting fervor has by no means abated and so I worked out this design of button and roll knots incorporating one of the long crystal bead in the centre flanked by smaller white ancient glass beads from Vietnam.

O well, genuine or not Spring & Autumn Necklace is a lovely name for my long crystal bead necklace. It feels very special and I shall have joy wearing it.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Welcome to the Lunar New Year of the Bull er, OX

The seals I show below are made of crystal and were purchased in Cambodia.


The first bull seal above is dome shaped with two holes drilled at the top for stringing and was probably used as a pendant or amulet.
The next 3 seals also depict bulls but are flat and without holes.

I have come across seals like these in the ACM (Asian Civilisation Museum) According to the writeup given on the ACM display, Khmer crystals have been discovered at sites along the Mekong Delta. It goes on to say that the engraved crystals "probably served as seals or stamping dies and clay impressions taken from the seals may have been used as offerings as they have been found under boundary stones and the foundations of temples."
The engraving on my seals are beautiful and I sure hope they are authentic Khmer period seals related to those described in the ACM exhibit.
On page 124 of Ornaments from the Past: Bead Studies after Beck there is also a picture of an intaglio of a bull attributed to Indian origin which is somewhat similar to my above seals.
Here is a plasticine impression of my crystal bull seals :

While the first bull looks like it could "charge" the remaining three bulls are more like "sitting bulls", very mild and docile. I have seen sculptures of such peaceful bulls in temple grounds of the Angkor ruins.
The color for Lunar New Year is red and it would be unseemly for me to post only white crystal seals . Actually white is taboo for tne New Year, so I'd better not defy tradition. Lucky I got a brown colored one in my set of bull seals. I think maybe this stone is jasper.

The reds and golds in the following pic will give a more auspicious welcome to the OX, Bull, Oxen, Cow, what's in a name anyway so long as we can say Gongxi Facai, Nian Nian you ZHU, er, Every Year Have BEADS :-)))

And to conclude my Ox and Bull Story here are some real Water Buffaloes from my old home town, many moons ago!!

And as a bonus for me someone kindly planted some cardboard cows on the rolling green behind my home to welcome Year of the Ox 2009, how very considerate !

Mooooooo! And oh dear, many of these cows were subsequently stolen ! Tsk! Tsk!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Lotus and the Lark

Jade lotus vintage about 50-100 years old. There are also 4 ancient Vietnamese white glass beads accents. Planning to wear this for the Lunar New Year.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Double Coin Knot n Jade Yuan Bao Necklace

It is composed of the double coin knot as a central piece with button knots and ancient Vietnamese glass beads making up the rest of the chain. The double coin knot is a decorative motif composed of two antique Chinese coins overlapping one another and symbolizes prosperity and longevity. Dangling from the knot is a jade yuan bao which also represents old Chinese coin or money. Gold is the symbol of wealth and so the gold color satin cords add emphasis to this manifold auspicious necklace ! How cheesy can I get ? :)
Here's a close up of the necklace :

Well so much for welcoming the New Year, as 2008 draws to a close I am not without sadness. In my favourite comfort columnist AY's* words the year has not been without "its sadness and joys, relief and regrets" And for my last post of 2008, I'd like to shed a silent tear for all partings, good byes, personal losses and pain which has been.....
Postscript: Sadder still, AY passed away suddenly in June. So, no more consoling words... He has touched many lives, including people he did not know
.Friday, December 19, 2008
Sa Huynth Earrings
However my specimen may not be genuine Sa Huynh. I somehow got the feeling that it is a replica. The seller being uneasy himself, had said that it is from the Champa Kingdom, a later civilization and that could bring it as far down as 1800.
The curled up C-shaped ornament also reminds me of the Chinese Hongshan (3500 to 2000BC) zhulong(pig dragon.) The zulong is descended from the jue(slit ring) and the jue-form is also used in Vietnam although later than the Chinese period. So from this chain of reasoning my impression that the lingling-o and zhulong are distant cousins, relatives or whatever, may not be too far fetched ! Though I must admit that my assumptions are completely unscientific !
Are my eyes or mind playing tricks on me ? Seems like the more I look at it the more I see the zhulong pose (minus the prongs) in the earring ornament. Here are two views:

The picture on the left is a lingling-o looking view (the earring view) usually shown in books and other sources. The picture on the right shows a different view. Does it not resemble the curled up zhulong ? Wish I could post a picture of a zhulong for comparison. Unfortunately, I do not own one not even a replica. However jade collectors would be familiar with this legendary artifact and the Net would also have many images of this illustrous mythical animal.
So is this a fake lingling-o that looks like a zhulong ? Well I must say this is one tricky piece and the faker must be having a good chuckle baffling hapless collectors like me. :)
Here is another C-shaped, lingling-o/zhulong lookalike ornament made from glass also purchased in Vietnam.

Vintage unknown.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Large Spherical Jade Bead

I used this piece as practice for making snake-knots and it looks not too bad ? Hehehe! Self applause and loud clapping ! As a l-i-m (learn-it-myself) crafter I must admit that my project was not all smooth sailing and I did encounter obstacles. First of all my cord dimensions although taken from a pattern in a book, ended on the short side. It may be due to typo error or it might have been due to the loose tension in forming the knots. Although the snake knot is one of the easiest of the Chinese knots, the tension still took a while to get the hang of. I had to unpick and start over many times. Oooo ! what a pain in the neck that was ! With chinese knots the mantra is not only "practice, practice, practice !!" but also "patience, patience, patience" It is also dash difficult to get the snake knots to lie flat, they keep on undulating like a typical snake !
My poor grasp of the chinese instructions was another handicap. On the bright side I actually picked up and learned some new vocabulary...
Back to my bead .. like all things Chinese this necklace has many auspicous meanings. The large bead is carved with the Chinese character "Shou" for longevity, while the snake represents - rebirth renewal and healing. It is also regarded as a source of good luck as well as guardian of treasures.
The surface decoration of the bead consists of two roundels with the character "Shou" and surrounded by spiral patterns. I guess this is a new bead of not more than 20 years. It's large size 2.5cm across makes it a good centre piece for a choker necklace. Close-up below:

Here are 5 more similar looking beads in various sizes.

Monday, November 24, 2008
Fun with Dolls and Beads

The heads are made from monochrome old Chinese and Indonesian glass beads.For the feet and hands I use seedbeads with a couple of ancient trade wind beads for the hands of the left dolly. The flat knot is used to make the doll's bodies. I got the pattern from a Chinese knotting book.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Buttons and Beads

The large central greenish bead is barrel shaped while the two side beads are melons of a dark green shade. These beads may be imported from China or it maybe made locally. Looking at their general condition I make a wild guess that they may date from 1000 to 500 years old.
This second necklace is also composed of glass beads from Vietnam.

The knots used are the cross knot for the central bead and button knots for the rest of the necklace. Lavendar is my favourite color and these lavendar cords and knots gently pamper the 1000 year ancient white glass beads from Vietnam.
The button knot looks like a rosebud hence its also known in some quarters as rosebud knot, see closeup below :

Seller said the beads belong to the Cham Dynasty(from approximately the 7th century through to 1832, according to Wikipedia) The central bead is ovalish or ovoid (I think this is not the correct bead description term, but nevermind) with impressed grooves. The accompanying 2 beads are melon shaped.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Dragonflys with beady eyes

These elusive bugs sure provide an antidote from the toxic problems of the current age and times. Some old sage might have said of them "Blessed be these simple critters with their diaphanous wings, they will give us peace.. ....." oops, sorry, dreamt that one up and just joking, read too much Murakami and Kundera ... heh! heh!
The knot used is the flat knot, sometimes called square knot.The beads used in the eyes are old Chinese and Indonesian glass seedbeads as well as a couple of Venetian whitehearts.
On a more mundane level these dragonflys also make good decorative material for handbags, backpacks, mobile phones and can be used as souvenirs and giftaways.

Or it can be worn on a cord as a pendant.

As these dflys can be made in small sizes I need only use the leftovers and remnant cords from other projects and need not incur extra expense. So they are really fun and free.
Here's a dfly of another kind, from my jade collection.

And not forgetting the real thing from my garden fence. I stalked it the whole morning and finally caught its diaphanous wings !

Oh, here's a bonus ! I spotted another welcome visitor on my fence, -- a red dragonfly.

Finally thanks to Jack Keene http://whatknot.tripod.com/knots/dragon.htm for the online pattern and tutorial on the making of the dragonfly using chinese flat knots.
Friday, October 17, 2008
More groovy, grooved, jade beads

The beads are frail and hoary. They are weathered and bleached almost to the bone. But the twisty grooves are still vivid and impressive. The original color beneath the patina is lemony yellow with the usual age-mark magic spirals lightly sketched in the perforations. Each bead measures 3cmx1cm.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Groovy Huan/ Ring
The jade has been altered and is completely covered with a beige patina. It is no longer jade like. But still fascinating nevertheless. The patina is like a piece of crepe which engulfs the whole Ring whilst inside the grooves a regular pattern of ridges (?) or maybe should I say crinkles or wrinkles can be seen? O dear don't know whether this is the correct description or if I am making sense! I dont know all the correct terms and would never make a good curator. Sigh !But please look at the picture to have a clearer idea of what I am driving at.

There is also iron rust marks on the one side of the Ring.
I speculate that the "ridges" visible in the grooves represent the tool marks on the original surface of the jade Ring. This Ring is also very well made with the grooves almost precision carved. The patina, the ancient toolmarks of grinding and the beautifully cut grooves all make this an unforgettable piece of artwork. Ahem, these are just my personal observations and ideas and and I have no hard facts to back up my story !
On a more serious note, there is a report about a paper * that delves into how groovy Ring ornaments, similar to mine, were created 2,500 years ago using compound machines. According to Harvard graduate Peter Lu "the spiral patterns on the small rings are Archimedes' spirals, which he believes are the oldest evidence of the use of compound machines." in China. He has even conducted an experiment to prove his controversial view.
O, the wonder of Chinese civilization, and their wonderful early inventions and works of art !
*http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn5103(for those who wish read about the theory )






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