Quietly Musing

Another Dragon for Dragon Year 2012

2012-02-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

I had forgotten all about this seal which I had purchased in Phnom Penh some years back. So glad I rediscovered it in time for the lunar new year because it features a dragon made of quartz crystal.

Although this is not a Chinese dragon but a Khmer dragon I still think it is appropriate for this Lunar New Year season. In Khmer mythology a dragon is known as Naga or Neak.

What a cool dragon or or should I say dragoness.....is she the Princess dragon of Khmer mythology........?

LITTLE HIDDEN DRAGON

2012-01-22T17:27:00.000-08:00

I am ringing in Lunar New Year 2012 with this tiny jade dragon. This is no ferocious fire spitting dragon. He is quiet and mysterious - he must be Hidden Dragon :))

Measuring 3.5 cm x 0.8cm it is indeed a tiny dragon you may also call it Kid dragon :)) Made from a thin slab of yellow jade its zoomorphic appearance seems to indicate a very early birth. It may even be considered a Shang or Zhou hopeful ( 13th-10th centuryBC). Here's the reverse view of hidden, kid dragon

Look at it from upside down, and its still the auspicious dragon that I so love !

I had it attached to a Chinese silk cord and it is all ready to wear and greet the new year.

And here is an illuminated view of jade dragon

O Hidden Kid Dragon my wish is for Health and Happiness to All this Lunar New Year !

JADE JUE EAR ORNAMENTS

2011-12-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

This is a pair of tiny jade jue ear ornaments I bought in China. Perhaps they are not even a matched pair as one is slightly larger than the other.

There is a piece of old quartz trapped/lodged in between the opening of the larger jue

According to one net source, this maybe a ploy employed by fakers to trick buyers into believing the antiquity of the object. The source also described a sure proof way to test whether the quartz was placed there by an ingenious forger. To try out the test I got myself a sharp tooth pick and pried at the quartz with all my strength. As it did not give way, it might have been glued on very securely or else it is genuinely ancient. Still I guess if I use a sharp blade and work at it it just might give way. Meanwhile I am quite pleased with my ancient quartz stuck in my ancient jade jue.

What Id like to know is did nature place quartz and jade jue together and they bound through the course of time or was the quartz used for polishing/grinding and got left behind ? Another thought that struck me, is that the placement of the quartz actually makes a convenient loop for attachment as earring.

Most jues are larger and I cant account for the smallness of this pair which measures 1.7cm for the larger and 1.5cm for the smaller. If ancient they could date to around Shang/Xizhou dynasty (1600-221 BC)

Because of its small size, I do suspect that this pair may have been recarved from a larger piece of broken ancient jade. However all the edges appear worn and indicate that there is some age to them.

Finallly here is a pic of 7 jues which were collected from Vietnam

The two jues at the bottom right are made of glass and not jade. These Vietnamese jues have a later date than the Chinese ones.

I LOVE COLLECTING....

2011-08-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

Jade birds.......

From neolithic times to the present day, birds in their infinite variety and plumage have been carved on jade. These captivating jade birds have also caught my eye and in this post I will be showing a selection of favourites from my collection.

The nephrite birds in pic 1-3 are from Qing to early 20th century

Pic 1 3 nephrite birds carved in semi circular style.

Pic 2 Pair of cranes in white nephrite

Measuring 6cm this pair of tall cranes could not have been hat or hair adornments. Perhaps they were originally used as inlays for furniture, boxes or screens.

Pic 3 A flock of nephrite birds

The nephrite birds in Pic 3 are small flat pieces which have served a variety of uses from hairpins, headgear to hat and garment ornamentation.

The jadite birds in Pic 4-5 are of more recent origin and were probably meant to be used as pendants.

Pic 4 these look like turkeys.

Pic 5 Another large turkey

Pic 6 Pigeon or Doves ?

The jadite pigeon or doves in Pic 6 are jade applique sewn on to clothes.

Pic 7 Jadite bird among foliage

Here's a large heavy 5.5cm jadite pendant which is carved on both sides. One side shows a perky bird among foliage while the reverse depicts a chinese coin. It must have once graced the neck of some grand chinese dame.

Pic 8 Carved on both sides with reverse showing a coin

Pic9 Mini 2cm jade plaque with bird engraving

Pity this jade plaque in Pic 9 is a standalone. If I had a few more pieces I could make a pretty bracelet.

Pic 10 Large bird and little chick

The large bird in pic 10 is likely to be from Qing to early 20th century while little chick is a modern bird bead. Such new bird beads can be found in large quantity in the Guangzhou jade market, shown below.

Pic11 New jade at Guangzhou jade market

Pic 12 More jade at jade market

Pic 13 Trio of old birds

I really love this trio of old birds in Pic13. These sweeties have a solemn, dignified bearing and look like they have stepped out of the archaic age. I'm going to make a wild guess that they maybe as early as Han time. Hah ! That's what I am secretly hoping :) As a bonus they are also beads being perforated from crown to base.

Pic14 these 2 are modern

Pic 15 Pair of love birds from the Qing dynasty

And finally here's a pair of love birds from Qing dynasty which are also beads.

I LOVE COLLECTING.....

2011-06-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

JADE AND CHALCEDONY RINGS......

The top, centre and bottom rings shown in pic 1 are chalcedony while the two rings on the left and right are probably nephrite.

Except for the centre ring which is flat, all the rings have tapering sides. All the rings are undecorated and are well crafted, polished and beautiful in their plainess. Filippo Salviati writing in the Language of Adornment, said that such rings have been used in pectoral and necklace assemblages during the Zhou dynasty 1046-256 BC.

The pieces shown here, (if not fakes) are likely to date from Warring States period 475-221BC, or later.

PIC 1

The 5 Rings shown in pic 2 are all flat and the top 4 rings are also unpolished. I have been toying with the idea that these may be unworked pieces recovered from some ancient ring-making factory.There are toolmarks on the surfaces of all the rings.

The bottom one which is the only one polished is also more like a bi.

I think they are of the same vintage as the rings shown in Pic 1.

Pic 2

pic 3

Pic 3 shows a jade ring with twisted rope design which is typical of the Warring States Period 475-221BC. This ring was also discussed in a previous post http://baiyu-quietmuse.blogspot.com/2008/10/groovy-huan-ring.html . The jade has completely altered and the stone is covered with lovely patina.

I LOVE COLLECTING.....

2011-04-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

.....Jade flowers....

The jade flowers I show in this post date from the Ming-Qing period(1368-1912 ) Carved in rosette or elongated shapes they were mostly used as hairpins, hair ornaments or formed parts of larger headgear. The smaller flowers shown in picture 4 could also have been used as buttons.

in rosette shapes pic 1

rosette shape pic 2

rosette shape pic 3

rosette shape pic 4

elongated shapes pic 1

Year of the Rabbit 2011

2011-02-02T05:46:00.000-08:00

Here comes the Bunnies ...

To usher in the year of the Rabbit are these 3 tiny rabbits purportedly from the Xizhou era(1027-771BC)

They are made in the true-blue Xizhou style of small zoomorphic animals which are carved from thin flat slabs of jade, turquoise and agate.

The largest piece made from turquoise measures 3x1.7cm.

The jade rabbit measures 3x1.5cm

while the smallest measures 2.3x0.5cm

The obverse of this rabbit has been completely eroded.

Judging from their form and expression with crouching pose and large staring eyes I am rather hopeful of their being the real Mccoy. There are also toolmarks in the perforations and on the bodies. However toolmarks are tricky and I have yet to learn how to tell the authentic from the forged. No matter how hard I look my head just goes groggy from trying to separate the genuine from the fake. So, I'd just leave this factor to guessmate :)

So Bunnies may you all hop in with a rich Bounty of good Jian Kang and Ping An for 2011, Year of the Rabbit !

LITTLE BOYS RED

2011-01-22T00:11:00.000-08:00

These 2 cute carnelian boys have 2 drilled holes at each side for attachement. They were probably used as hat buttons for little children. Although similar, they are not identical, the chubbier boy on the left has a fringe while the smaller one does not.

The condition of the smaller piece was rather poor when I first bought it.

rather dark and dirty

But with a little soap and water the little fella has been restored to its original luster. Which goes to show that carnelian is a very hardy stone.

The backs are flat and plain.

They date from late Qing to 20th century and are popular with both local Han Chinese as well as minority groups.

Carnelian boys are also sometimes used as insets for silver accessories such as bracelets and hairpins. However I am not lucky to possess any piece in its orginal setting.

I salvaged mine from the local flea and the silver or hat originals must long have decayed. But still they are attractive and collectible.

SPIRAL COIL BEADS

2010-07-08T05:46:00.000-07:00

These 2 coil beads were purchased at the same time as the chinese glass ornaments described in earlier two posts.

Here are some smaller specimens.

Previously I thought they belonged to the tradewind category and going as far back as the 12th century but now it looks like they are also Ming dynasty. According to the book Zhong Guo Gu Dai Bo Li Jian Shang Tu Lu, these coil beads are quite plentiful, (though ironically I have only this handful to show) and they are therefore lowly rated at only 3.

Here are some blue glass coil beads which are in better condition and with more turns. These were collected from South Vietnam but may have a similar vintage and origin as the Chinese coil beads. However these examples were not included in Zhong Guo Gu Dai Bo Li Jian Shang Tu Lu.

Chinese Glass Ornaments 2

2010-07-01T05:56:00.000-07:00

Blue Glass Ear Ornament

This sweet little blue glass thingy had been perplexing me ever since I bought it.

Neither pierced nor perforated, it is neither a bead nor a pendant and is distinguished by a depression across the centre.

centre depression

The depression extends all the way to the back.

back view

It was purchased together with other Ming glass ornaments discussed in previous post. A more savvy collector could have guessed its use easily, but not an ignoramus like me !

Now thanks to Zhong Guo Gu Dai Bo Li Jian Shang Tu Lu, I know for sure that its an ear ornament. Here's how it could have been used originally:

Hah ! Mystery solved and case concluded :)

My only regret is it didn't prove to be as "rare and mysterious" as I had imagined. The book only gave it a rating of 3+ which means there must be many pieces out there for the taking.

Chinese Glass Ornaments 1

2010-06-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

Glass Flower Ornament/Huan

I purchased this glass ornament some years ago from my connoisseur collector friend C.

All this while I thought it was a Yuan dynasty (AD 1279-1368) glass artifact, as claimed by seller, backed by research from various books, and agreed by me . However, my recent purchase of the Chinese publication "Zhong Guo Gu Dai Bo Li Jian Shang Tu Lu" has given me new insights into dates of the old Chinese glass in my collection. It looks like I have to revise my opinion on this piece as well as those already posted in earlier posts. *

"Zhong Guo Gu Dai etc" is a very comprehensive record of Chinese glass with examples from Warring States to Qing dynasty. However the bulk of the pieces shown in the book are concentrated on Ming glass ornaments. There are extensive examples and there is even a grading system for the rarity of each piece, The grades given range from 1-9, with 1 being the low ranking common items while 9 is the nonepareil! So now I am busy grading my bits and pieces of Chinese glass, hoping to turn up a gem. Hehe!

My piece appears in the book and has a ranking of 7- which I suppose is quite good and rare. :)

Rare glass flower huan

It is described as a flower shaped huan which can be used as a Pei, dating to Ming Dynasty (AD1368-1644) I am gratified to learn its exact shape and use as I had previously been unable to figure out its shape and had vaguely conjectured that it resembles a belt buckle with some missing parts !

Here's another item of mine that has achieved an even higher ranking, of 7+, so it must be quite , quite rare. It was previously posted under the title Blue Pendant with Buffalo Under the Moon

According to the book this pendant was made by the mo ya cheng xing or "mold pressed into shape method." The writer further asserts that the broken line at the bottom of the pendant was caused by a break in the mold as all such pendants carry the same broken line. Although his conclusion has cleared my queries about the broken line it raises other questions. Why could'nt they make a new mold instead of leaving the pendants in such a slip-shod state? Were molds so expensive to replace or were these pendants just cheap trinkets in those days rather than the prized possessions they are to to collectors of the present age?

My highest rated piece.

* Here are the links to previous posts about other Chinese glass ornaments that need revision. All the pieces should now be re-dated to Ming AD 1368-1644.

A winter sonata necklace
Birds and Petals on a Vine of Coil Beads
Amulets, pendants and coil beads necklace
Blue Pendant with Buffalo Under the Moon

Zhong Guo Gu Dai Bo Li Jian Shang Tu Lu was published in 2010.
ISBN 978-7-5398-1564-0

Red Cicada Bead

2010-05-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

In ancient China cicadas were used as burial objects and are normally made from jade or white/green glass. Red cicadas on the other hand are rarely seen or documented. My guess is that, red being an auspicious color did not make "proper" grave goods and red cicadas were therefore not as popular as the jade ones.

Perhaps, this one is modern or at least Qing as the surface is quite worn. Personally I prefer my cheery, chubby critter (allit.....allit... ah alliteration, it rhymes :) ) to the flat, aloof Han specimens which are made of jade or glass.

At first I mistook the material to be carnelian. On closer exam it turned out to be glass because of the bubbles seen under a magnifyer.

Measuring 2.3cmx1.5cm in the round, this cicada has a deep cut on both sides of the body.

I am not sure what the cut-in sides indicate. Had the maker intended to cut it into two flat cicadas but changed his mind at the last minute, and perforated it instead, turning it into a bead ? The large perforation is drilled from head to tail and the whole cicada measures 2.3x1.5cm. It could have served as a hair accessory or as a Pei.

I have strung it with new Chinese turquoise beads for use as a bracelet. The bright turquoise makes the bead darker than it really is.

An alternative bracelet with lighter jade beads, show up its subdued tones like a faded beauty.

QUADRAPLET ROCK CRYSTAL BEAD

2010-04-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

Bead that rocks

This is one rock crsytal bead that ROCKS ! Its shape is rather unusual being made up of 4 beads carved from one rock crystal. What should be the right word to describe its shape ? Quadraplet is what I have in mind except it doesnt conform to bead terminology, but never mind.

When I first saw it I thought it resembled an aeroplane. But then on second glance it looked like a bird, a rocket even a spaceship !! Rather ingenious bead maker with something of the funky touch.

Bird , aeroplane or rocket ?

The perfs are quite large and in each of them are concentric ring tool marks. The crystal surface is weathered and primitive and the bead measures 3cmx2.5cm. Was it meant to be worn as a pendant or a bead? In any case why 4 perforations?

I haven't seen the likes of such a bead before. Nor seen it documented in any book or on the net. For all I know it might have been used as a Tibetan amulet, Mongolian sword ornament, Manchurian flask decoration, neolithic mythical object, ritualistic symbol is anyone's guess. I may be wrong but it doesn't look like a Han artefact although the bead came from China.

still trying to figure out the object....

Hmmmm, if this is a bird I guess the large central bead maybe the body and the 2 side appendages may be the wings but what about the top appendage. Is it a bird carrying something on its back? Louis Cha's tales of Condor Heros come to mind :))

BIRD BEAD

2010-03-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

to this bird loving world..... and all you bead loving people...

When I saw this turquoise bird bead, it immediately reminded me of my kingfisher friends in the backyard. (see my other blog Kingfisher on my fence.)

Kingfishers from my Garden

These real life kingfishers from my garden, can be quite noisy but when they perch on my fence they are very silent and still and make good companions.

Those are the real birds now for my turquoise simulation.

My turquoise bird bead is tiny and measures 2.5x1.5cm. The body is plain except for one incised line near its upswept double level tail. Its round eyes look serious and thoughtful not unlike my kingfisher companions at the backyard. The legs are not drawn and ends in a pedestal. The perforation is top down and could have been used as a Pei and worn from the waist. Because of its smallness it could also have been an ornamental element in a necklace.

There are marks all over its body and circular marks around the eyes. It has the qualilties of an archaic bird but I can't find a good enough comparison to specify a period.

So, dear little blue bird, whether you hail from Dongzhou, Xizhou, Shang, Han or even 21 st century, its still a bird-loving world from BC to AD :)

JATIMS REVISITED

2010-02-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

FUN WITH JATIMS

Jatims are ancient glass beads from Indonesia. I am revisiting and trying to relove my jatim beads even though I am not sure how many of them are genuine and how many are fakes. They look pretty neat onscreen and I may just about con myself into believing their authenticity. Heh! Heh!

Beautiful Beads -- too good to be true? (sigh)

Fakery or fogery aside, these beads are decorative and appealing.

Jatims stand tall with other fun beads

Jatims are more outstanding seen vertically than lying flat. I got the idea from a bead display I saw on the net.

RECYCLED PEKING GLASS BEADS

2010-01-24T04:52:00.000-08:00

The pair of pretty antique earrings shown below is made from Peking glass beads.

I can't decide whether these beads have been recycled into earrings or whether they are just broken earrings. Looking at the end holes beneath the silver caps, I can see damage, so the beads may have been retrieved from a bead necklace and remade/recycled into earrings. Or they may have been earrings all along and the ends merely damaged from use. Who can tell?

The silver chains look like from late Qing period and the earrings probably date from late 19th century.

Xizhou Carnelian (Manao) Disc Beads

2010-01-08T04:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a richly red string of carnelian (manao) disc beads from the Xizhou Dynasty (1027-771BC)

There are numerous examples of these carnelian discs in Chinese and Western books. A string of carnelian discs like mine, can be seen in Roger Chow's Sparkling Splendor, pg.90 which is attributed to the Xizhou Dynasty.

Carnelian discs also appear in the magnificient pectoral ensembles of Xizhou Dynasty. Many examples are documented in the Chinese publication Zhonghua Wenming Chuan Zhen 2. on pg. 99,105,111,112,113. However carnelian discs were used only in supporting and contrasting roles to hold the more valuable jade congs, plaques, huangs, bis and the whatever important jades in place and to give color contrast.

Below is a picture of a Zhou jade pectoral exhibited at the Henan Museum. It shows an ensemble of carnelian discs sitting alongside jade huangs. Whee ! what a swinging chain fit for an emperor to strut around in. Who else would go striding around with such a chain :) ?

In Zhou times the discs rosy hue must have made a striking contrast with the white nephrite huangs. For present day use I prefer to put them next to icy crystals.

Manao and crystal

Although the carnelian discs maybe generic and unremarkable alongside the princely jade pieces, I am a sucker for their flaming color and their rich place in history.

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.

JOY TO COLLECTORS !

2009-12-18T04:56:00.000-08:00

I am celebrating this holiday season with my beads and jade.

Only the white jade, peanut shaped earrings with amethyst chip accents were made by me. The crystal and turquoise beads necklace and crystal and pearl tennis racket pendant were finds at a craft stall.

Although the white jade earrings is really shaped as a peanut, I thought my earrings ended up looking like a yuletide log cake.

peanut or yuletide log cake?

Peanut- shaped

Log Cake

3 Prong Jade Ornament

2009-12-06T04:58:00.000-08:00

This 3 prong jade ornament was purchased in China.

It is an archaic shape and resembles the trident shaped artifacts from Neolithic periods which has been described as "San Zi" (shaped like the Chinese character "Mountain." ) Such artifacts are illustrated and described in Chinese as well as Western literature. See JADE by consultant editor Roger Keverne pages 54 and 76 for Liangzhu examples. They are said to be hair ornaments because they have been discovered near the head usually together with a jade Stick.

The Liangzhu examples in book JADE show exquisite carvings but my specimen is completely plain. The holes are also positioned differently, the Liangzhu trident has holes drilled from the top of the prongs, while in my specimen the 3 holes on the prongs and one at the circular end of the pendant are all drilled through the body of the pendant. My pendant is also thinner than the Liangzhu ones.

One side is horrendously corroded

On the obverse side the damage is not so bad.

My partial eye is again detecting some strange phenomenon on the less corroded side. Look at the ornament with the prongs facing downwards :

Do you see a sillouhuette or vague outline that is birdlike and seems nature made?

close up view

Ha ha mayhap my imagination doth run wild (the cynic Heng says its just a blotch lah !) I just love these quirky pieces that will not make me rich except in the mind and the heart.

To conclude, this three prong piece strongly resembles an archaic artefact though I'd be hard pressed to give its definite vintage.

Below I have tried to recreate its use as a hair ornament, fitting it with Xizhou carnelian and turquoise disc beads. Could it have been tied to some ladies elegant top knot in ancient times ? Hmmmm, actually, it reminds me of the hair dangles worn by Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Carribean. I suppose some swinging Stone Age guy might have had the same fashion idea aeons ago :)))

Ornament for Johnny Depp or Stone Age Guy ?

Friendship Knots for Bi Lovers

2009-11-26T04:04:00.000-08:00

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.

The Parrot and the Pussycat

2009-11-09T04:56:00.000-08:00

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.

What a beautiful pussy you are, you are ....

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.

....you elegant fowl.....

I think the "elegant fowl", above is a Parrot. It has a hooked beak, round eyes, curved claws and the tail ends as a stand. The piece is partially corroded by iron rust marks and must have been buried with iron or metal objects. Parts of the body and the tail is covered by an abstract pattern carved in deep, strong (dao gong you li) lines. There are very old concentric ring drill marks in the perforation at the beak.

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.

Honey Color Cylinder Beads

2009-11-03T04:37:00.000-08:00

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."

These cylinders have no distinguishing features other than their lovely color.

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.

Reverse view

BRAIDS AND BEADS

2009-10-14T06:01:00.000-07:00

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

Close up of the braids

Thank you Q ! Take a bow ! You have brightened my dark days, meanwhile I must jia you! jia you! :))

Carnelian and Rock Crystal Necklace

2009-09-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

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.

RECYCLING JADE 2

2009-09-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

"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.

jade fragment

fragment recycled into a wearable necklace

RECYCLING JADE 1

2009-08-21T05:29:00.001-07:00

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.

Turquoise Turtle

2009-08-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

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, :))

Hongshan style Cloud Pendant

2009-07-21T06:08:00.000-07:00

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.

Replica or no, deers, being my best collectible friends, next to birds, bees, fishes, butterflys et al, I was more than happy to get it. Hmmm, it may also be Ming or Qing vintage, like Xuang-Lian-Bi in earlier post. Now if only I could find a good way to string this one up life would be perfect :)

Double Connection Bi

2009-07-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

Xuang lian bi is literally translated as Double Connection Bi. It is a shape orginating from the Hongshan Culture about BC.4000–3000 BC.

My miniature double connection bi measuring 2.7cm is made in the Hongshan style. It consists of two bis which are carved from one piece of jade with the bottom bi bigger than the top bi. Genuine double connection bis from the Hongshan culture are generally larger and I am sure mine is a replica. The seller had told me quite deadpan, that "large sized Hongshan pieces can be found anywhere but a small one would be a rare find." He!He! And he expected me to swallow his tall tale!

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)

Jade Slit-tube (Jue)

2009-07-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

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)." !

There is much weathering on the slit-tube, see pix below :

"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! :))

Mystery Guy

2009-06-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

He is made of yellow jade showing signs of red suffusion, patinisation and cleaving veins. He has large upslanting pop-out eyes, flat nose and wide mouth. He wears a longish robe with two stumps of feet sticking out

Is he a Man from Shang or a Man from Shu? Or is he a figment of modern fakers skilful invention ? This little fella is perforated from the top of his rather flat head so he is really a bead. He must be Beadman, oops, what am I talking about, of course I mean Jademan !

There are three things that puzzle me about this piece. I find his rather flat and bare head rather strange. Most Chinese archaic jade figurines will have some sort of hat, headwear, braids or something. I think the Chinese consider the head/brains very important. However I have come across a few figurines in books with flat heads so my piece may belong to the minority.

The second thing that puzzles me is the postion of his hands, one in front and one at the back. Most archaic jade figurals that I have come across have both hands in front clasped together as in greeting or resting on the knees. My Jademan has his right hand resting on his left arm for the front view, while at the back the left hand rests below the waist. He looks like he is in a pose of admiring the moon or composing a poem ? Figments of my own imagination :)) ?

The last puzzle is the back (see pic below) where the head is cut away and looks like the neck of a vase. Indeed the body does look not unlike the rounded part of a vase. However the fingers are carved in detail.

I have strung my Jademan with a string of very old carnelian beads. As I cant accurately pinpoint his years, I shall just say he is Mystery Guy from the Past and treat him like "..my little good luck charm...uh-huh huh, you sweet delight....." :)) He is all of 4.2cm tall.

The rounded carnelian beads have a "C" scroll pattern and maybe five hundred to a thousand years old.

Belt parts

2009-05-26T05:41:00.000-07:00

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!

Each is pierced with six holes for attachement and the material looks like glass imitating jade but I am not sure. Perhaps it may be calcite.

In the book "Chinese Antique Glass" there are belt sets made up of components such as what I show. These examples appear in p.57, 62, 66. So it would not be too presumptious for me to think that my rectangles had once been used to make up belt sets too. The book gave timelines ranging from Tang to Ming, quite a lengthy and safe timeline, and I hope I will not be censured by glass shifus for following this guideline.

These rectangles are completely plain and unadorned so I am guessing that they maybe "grave goods" or they maybe used by less wealthy folks who could not afford jade.

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.

Ox-nosed holes

Hmm, I am wondering what manner of stringing or attachement went with such holes ? Unfortunately the long descriptive Chinese text in "Chinese Antique Glass" is beyond my comprehension. Trying to obtain information from Chinese books without knowing the language can be a handicap. It can even be a landmine which I had once upon a time fallen into. For example the author may use a Fake piece to illustrate some point he wishes to bring out, but the reader, who can't read the fine print unwittingly sees it as a real Mccoy. Ha Ha Ha !! Well, I have finally mastered the word for FAKE (FANG)in Chinese and its a word I am not likely to ever forget. Ahhh.. I am just dreaming that in an alternate life, or if there is a third dimension, I can cross over (as in "Hard Boiled Wonderland" ) to be an archaeologist or a Chinese interpreter? :))

3 Faces Bead

2009-05-04T05:47:00.000-07:00

This face bead/pendant was first posted on July 20th 2008. I have only just discovered that this is in fact a 3 faces bead (3 faces of Eve?) After reading Chinese Jades through the Wei Dynasty by Alfred Salmony p.107 and seeing a similar (but not IDENTICAL) piece, I realised that the central human face is sandwiched by 2 tiger heads at each end. Look at the bead vertically and you will see what I mean :

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"? :))

Utilitarian but beautiful....

2009-04-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

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.

Beautiful Hands

2009-04-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

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.

Conversation with Eggheads, er, Beadheads...

2009-03-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

I call this composition 2 under the Crystal Tree.

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.

Amazing Faces of Zhulong

2009-03-11T05:35:00.000-07:00

My talented friend Maddy designed this lovely necklace featuring a crystal zhulong as a centrepiece. She allowed me to take this picture to post on my blog for all zhulong admirers/fans. We put our heads together but still could not figure out the exact vintage of this particular piece. We just know that its a little old but definitely NOT as old as Hongshan. The supporting beads of turquoise, amber and coral give this necklace a Tibetan cast as these are the stone colors most often seen on Tibetan jewellery.

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 :)))

Apologies to the true and original zhulong which is a rare work of art. What I am really hoping, is that one day I will have the chance to hold it in the palms of my hands.

A Rainbow in the Sky

2009-03-04T05:32:00.000-08:00

My heart leaps up when I behold
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.by william wordsworth.

Thanks A. for sending me this Rainbow of Hope It is indeed a beautiful work of nature and I am glad to use it to mark new beginings and old endings to my blog. Thanks too to WW for this unforgettable verse to lighten up my quiet Musings.

Look out for more frolic with jade, manao, crystal, turquoise. glass, braids, knots, beads, hairpins, animals and other little wonders.........

White Jade Square

2009-02-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

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.

Spring and Autumn Necklace

2009-02-10T04:48:00.000-08:00

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 :))

The beads measure from 3.5-4 cm, are drilled from both sides and drill marks are evident in the perforations. The shape is simple and elegant and the surface is quite pristine without much weathering except at the ends.

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.

Welcome to the Lunar New Year of the Bull er, OX

2009-01-26T04:52:00.000-08:00

O that the year of the Ox will usher in a mad Bull run ! It seems appropriate for me to post here my bull seals. Lest I be accused of being off-topic as I have self declared this blog to be about jade and beads, I must quickly add that in bead terminology a seal is also bead related especially bead seals.

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!

The Lotus and the Lark

2009-01-07T04:53:00.000-08:00

The header of this post sounds like a title from some profound book. But it is not ! Its only about my tiny jade lotus strung up with the larks head knot in blue/grey cords.

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.

Double Coin Knot n Jade Yuan Bao Necklace

2008-12-30T04:55:00.000-08:00

I made this "lucky" necklace to ring in the New Year.

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.

Sa Huynth Earrings

2008-12-19T04:47:00.000-08:00

This funny shaped three pronged stone (maybe nephrite ) ornament was purchased from South Vietnam. I think it belongs to the the nephrite earrings (sometimes called lingling-o) from the Sa Huynh Culture of Vietnam (1000 BC to 200 AD), a late prehistoric metal age society on the central coast of Viet Nam.

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.

Large Spherical Jade Bead

2008-12-08T04:58:00.000-08:00

This emerald-green satin cord of snake beads sits well with my large pale green 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.

Fun with Dolls and Beads

2008-11-24T05:02:00.000-08:00

Playing with dolls and beads seems like return to second childhood! But I just could'nt resist making these cute "wawas" or dolly wollies with knots and beads. So please indulge my silliness for one post, ok? :)

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.

Buttons and Beads

2008-11-14T05:04:00.000-08:00

Button knots look like beads and make lovely accents for my ancient beads. I am so glad I mastered the button knot to tie this necklace of ancient glass beads from Vietnam. Cord knotting is also a gentler medium for stringing of centuries old 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.

Dragonflys with beady eyes

2008-10-29T05:43:00.000-07:00

In these dark and dreary days of market crashes, lost savings and wrecked lives, I find relief in making these little knotted 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.

More groovy, grooved, jade beads

2008-10-17T05:47:00.000-07:00

Here are 3 companion beads to the groovy huan/ring in previous post. Purchased on the same trip and cut in the same groovy pattern, I cant help but think they are all from the same era. (Spring and Autumn Period 771-475 BC.) Overall color is also similar though patina, which can never be the same, shows some variation.

So far I have been unable to locate similar looking beads in books, the net, museums or markets which lead me to conclude (rightly or wrongly) that these are "uncommon" beads. Alternatively these beads may be regarded as "unimportant" among China's prodigious artefacts and therefore are never documented. Also, I may be looking in all the wrong places.

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.

I am planning to compose and knot a necklace comprising this family of ring and beads but my bad back is acting up again and for the time being I have to be satisfied with just this short post to muse about them.

Groovy Huan/ Ring

2008-10-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

I am not trying to be cute with the header for this post. This ancient Huan or Ring, to give it its more general name, is really full of grooves. Although Chinese normally describe this kind of pattern as "twisted rope design", some sources have described the spiral patterns as grooves, which I suppose is also correct. I purchased it more than 5 years ago from Shaanxi Province. According to my "research" the "twisted rope" carving style of this Ring ornament can be dated to to Spring and Autumn Period 771-475 BC.

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 )

Replica Jatims and Chinese Knotting

2008-09-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

A few years ago while still in my salad days of beadcollecting I bought a bundle of replica jatims.

Genuine Jatims are ancient glass beads from Indonesia which are very collectable and costly. Unfortunately my hoard are not the genuine stuff and I was stuck with them! Frustrated and not knowing how best to dispose of them I ended up using them as bottle stoppers!!

As picture shows combination didnt seem to gel and the project was soon abandoned.

These beads have caused me much heartache and I had left them to languish in my cupboard for a long time. But now that I have taken up Chinese knotting, I have found a new use for them. These large colorful beads with their ample perforations are just the right size for the rather thick cords used in Chinese knotting. Here's an example of Jatim millefiori beads strung with a Chinese double connection knot.

Hmm, do the jatims bring out the rich glow of the satin green cords or does enhancement happen the other way round ? Anyhow chinese knots have brought me to a better relationship with my repro jatims.I will be knotting necklaces with blue and white cords for my blue and white-eyed millefiori jatims and maybe yellow cords for those with yellow dots and stripes etc etc ......looks like I have projects up to my ears.

Beads and Chinese Knotting

2008-09-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

Some folks knit, some crochet or tat. Well, I choose knotting and this is hardly surprising since such a skill will naturally complement my bead and jade obsessions.Its only surprising that I have come to it so late. I tried to pick it up a few years ago with little success but this time round I have been more determined. I am not gifted at handwork so its really taken a lot of dogged perserverance and practice to get the hang of knots.

I have always admired those beautifully knotted and strung strands in books or on the net, and kicking myself to see why I cant do it like any other ordinary mortal. Finally, after much gnashing of teeth, here is my first finished project.

The bracelet shown above is strung and knotted together with the Double Connection Knot which is a basic knot for beginners. Still my thumby fingers had to put in oodles of practice before getting the knot straight.

The beads are Chinese glass beads circa 19-20th Century and look not unlike beads featured on p58 of Collectibe Beads by Robert K Liu.

An unexpected bonus about practicing basic Chinese knots (not the complex ones mind you) is that it is quite relaxing and is the ideal in-between-activity while waiting for my family members who are always less than punctual for outings ! I call it knot therapy and it actually keeps me from getting mad. And also, call me corny, but it satisfies my hunger for making things as opposed to eating things :) Knotting is also kinder to elderly eyes than most other craft work.

Other learning projects completed :

The double connection knot used here looks especially good when made in contrasting colors of red and brown as shown in my example. The crumb glass beads are old Chinese glass beads sometimes called Peking glass beads.

Creeper knots are easy to make and look cute. They can also be adapted to hold beads to make a quaint necklace.

Another creeper knot necklace knotted on thicker cord.

The beads shown are old Chinese glass in monochrome colors circa 19th century thereabouts.

Swinging Eyes

2008-08-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

Here's another ancient swinger! The eyebead, swinging in the Huan.

Briefly, a Huan according to the Chinese definition is a ring with a big central hole as opposed to a Bi which has a small hole. There are more detailed differences separating a Huan a from a Bi, but for my purpose this short description should surfice.

Not sure what century this Huan belongs to but if I were to hazard a guess, I would say Han 206BCE–220 AD or earlier. Huans are normally made of jade but this one looks more like agate or manao.

I am hoping that the many internal fissures or crazing on the Huan is a sign of great age. These fissures also look like what the archaic jade analysts describe as "cleaving veins". Of course "cleaving veins" may apply to jade only and I am using my imagination to stretch it a bit :) Below close up of the Huan. Hope what looks like "cleaving veins" to me can be clearly seen.

There are perforations at the top and bottom of the Huan ring which is just perfect for me to attach the eyebead using the flower knot to create a dangle. Wow, what a swinging threesome of flower knot, Huan and eyebead.

The eyebead hails from the Warring States period approximately 481-221 BCE and has beautiful violet and brown spots(the eyes) against a background of pretty blue faience.

PS :Just wish to add that the flower knot shown above is not my handwork. It was bought from a shop.

Eyes in Jade Jue

2008-08-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

One day while looking through a Chinese jade book * I was excited to come across an artefact from the Warring States period (481-221 BCE.) consisting of a silver belt and jade hook embellished with 3 jade jues and 3 warring states eyebeads. I had not previously known that Warring Sates eyebeads could be used as a decorative element on another article. I had thought that such beads were only meant to be worn. So it was indeed a revelation and it prompted me to dig out my own jade jues and Warring States eyebeads for some kind of action.

Lacking a silver belt, I then made do with my jues and eyebeads to come up with the following composition "Eyes in Jade Jues" A jue is a slit ring and were used as earrings in ancient China and neighbouring Vietnam. Eyebeads are the famed Warring States beads from China.

The two jade jues used in above picture are from Vietnam's Sa Hu culture ((1000BC-200AD). The eyebeads are from Warring States period (481-221BC)and were purchased in China. So this is what we would call a "rojak" combination of styles, periods and cultures.

The jues are well polished nephrite with bevelled edges and even after many centuries of burial are still wonderfully tactile. The eyebeads are made of faience(ie not glass) with glaze decorations and are full of attitude.

Apologies that the jues and eyebeads are not perfect fits but I had to make do as it is not easy to have a large supply of these ancient materials. Just hope this humble illustration of "Eyes in Jues" will be an eyeopener for jade and bead lovers everywhere.

* Gems of Beijing Cultural Relics Series p.67 (for those who want to refer to the image)

Yuan Yang Ducks

2008-08-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

I bought this "yu" carving of yuan yang ducks from my Guiyang trip. The name yuan yang, which refers to mandarin ducks, is a symbol of marital bliss in Chinese culture and such ducks are often featured in Chinese art.

The pair of ducks, set in a border of lotus leaves are the picture of harmony. Guiyang is bird country and so carvings of birdlife are common. I think the material is not jade though seller had claimed "yu". It is likely to be what the Chinese call manao, and which can cover anything from agate to carnelian and yu.

I am not sure which century these loving ducks hail from but 50-100 years should not be too far off the mark. I love the peaceful aura exuded by them and it is no wonder that fengshui masters promote yuan yang ducks for healing and enhancing relationships.

Face Bead 3

2008-07-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

This is the last in the face bead/pendant series. This face is not scary, in fact it looks quite pleasant, nice eyes and mouth. But is it man or woman ?

Heng thinks it does not look a Han Chinese face. He thinks it looks kinda Greek !? I think the general shape of the head and ears resembles somewhat the jade face covers used in burials in early Chinese civilization.

The face bead/pendant is made of white nephrite and carved as a rectangular plaque measuring 5cm x 2.8cm and is pierced at one end only. It is carved on both sides in mirror image pattern. There is white iridescence in parts and some slight cracks.

I have seen a similar-looking piece in a jade collector's book and he had attributed it to Xizhou period (1027-771 BC) and described its use as an accessory. I am hoping mine is of the same vintage.

Scary, scary face bead 2

2008-07-08T05:49:00.000-07:00

Continuing the scary bead series, here is a second face bead.

This second bead was purchased in Myanmar. I think it is made of glass. The face is not as expressive as bead 1 but it is striking in its own way. The lips are thick, I wonder whether this was what early Burmese man looked like. The head is bald, is it a monk ? There are numerous pits on the surface of the eroded glass. The hole mouth is not a perforation as the bead is perforated through the head. The sea green color seem to imitate jade.

Perhaps this bead is from the ancient Pyu kingdom ?

Scary, scary face bead 1

2008-06-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I bought this small sized white jade face bead/pendant from China. It is only 2cm x 1.3cm. The beancurd white color of the bead resembles Liangzhu Culture (3400-2250 BC) stuff, but I have never seen anything from that period which is so tiny as this bead pendant of mine. Nor in this type of design or form. The eyes are also not Liangzhu Culture eyes. But here I must quickly add that I have not had that much exposure to Liangzhu artifacts, just what I get from books and on the Net. Well if Liangzhu is ruled out maybe it is from another ancient culture. I have also tried the scratch test. Somewhere some collector had said that if the jade article scratches white then it is ancient. Not sure how accurate such tests are but I tried it on the back of mine and it scratched white. There are also minute grind marks in the small mouth aperture which are another sign of age.

The features of this face bead look a bit grim and the hole which represents the mouth gives the impression of a demented howl. It reminds me of the impressionist painting "The scream" which is said to smybolize modern man taken by an attack of existential angst. How strange, is this the face of neolithic man or modern man ? Stranger still if this is a fake bead, was the faker inspired by the famous Norwegian painting. And added to that what a small unique piece to fake. On the other hand, if it is a genuine ancient piece, looks like neolithic man had also their share of mental anguish :)

And what is that cloud pattern design above the mouth representing ? I thought it was the nostrils but Heng says it could be a moustache ! Ooh, cloud pattern as a curling moustache on ancient man ! That's a cool idea. As a collector I obsess about fakes and genuine all the time and this piece has given me endless hours of speculation.

P/S

After writing the above post I came across a website on Liangzhu excavations, where tiny jade objects such as mine were described as inlays for swords and knives. So, whoopee ! Mine may be a genuine Liangzhu culture face bead after all !

Snow White Peacock from Guiyang

2008-06-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

I bought a beautiful white peacock carving while touring Guiyang the capital of Guizhou Province. Guizhou has been condemened by many visitors as the most backward province in China, dirty and ugly. Yet I found it not so. It is a water province and so appeals to the Tao in me. It rains everday, there are waterfalls, crystals, mountains and caves and grey skies. Birds are pleantiful in Guizhou, including the King of birds, the Peacock.

Peacock in Guiyang's Peacock Park

And so it is appropriate for me to purchase this beautifully carved peacock as a memento of my trip.

The material used does not look like jade, more like crystal or agate or even glass. Ahem, what sort of a collector am I who don't know an agate from a quartz ?? Anyway it is very cold to the touch and white and translucent as ice. The tail fans up elaborately and the details are finely etched. There is an eye somewhere tucked among the feathery tail.

This is a unique piece for me as I have not seen a "yu" (any kind of stone)peacock carving before and a first in my collection. I think its inspiration comes from the many peacocks in Guizhou Province. And so thanks Guiyang for your snowy white peacock.

A Peasant's Smile !

2008-06-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

I purchased these biconical faceted jade beads from a smiling peasant in NW China.

While he was not exactly "the Leech-gatherer on the lonely moor" I could perhaps call him the bead gatherer on the loess plains and I, a bead collector from the Southern Seas (Nanyang). So when the twain do meet it is a joyous occasion and I can still recall our twin beams of happiness. However some critics may say I need my head examined to go giddy over a handful of rusty beads, see picture.

The biconical beads are plumpish and the facets are not sharp but have been blunted by time.The exterior is coated with a layer of iron rust maybe from burial with metal objects. Patina (bao jiang) and iridescence are evident on all the beads which should put these beads in the ancient category.

What surprises me about these beads is the lack of any carving (or maybe it is more correct to say, grinding) on the surface of the beads, given that most Chinese jade artifacts,(not only beads) will bear some kind of carved pattern or other. It is almost de rigueur. Morover I have also read somewhere, that it is not in the Chinese art sense to facet beads. So are these ancient beads Chinese or not ? Too many doubts and questions really spoil the joy of collecting.

Think I'd do better to move on to a more intriguing aspect. While the surface of the faceted beads is plain and uncarved, the decoration seems to have gone underground ! I am referring to the grind marks or tool marks present in the perforations. These are revealed as a spiral of beautifully formed and aged concentric circles down the length of the hole. Peering down the perforations with the help of a loupe, to see the "hidden" artwork of many milleniums is one intriguing experience that only an ancient bead aficionado can understand.

Now I really need my head examined. :)

Gone Batty !

2008-05-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

Bats may conjure up visions of spooky vampires but to the Chinese it is a symbol for blessings. The Chinese character for bats Fu is a homonym for blessings. It is a recurring theme on all things Chinese from furnitures, to porcelain to gold and jade.

Below are my collection of really teeny weeny jade bats. I take off my hat to the craftsmen who have so painstakinly carved these wee small bits. Jade is a hard material to work on and although these pieces may have been done with modern tools, still imagine holding them delicately between thumb and fingers to do the carving.

The tiniest one at the bottom row is only 1cm across and with a loupe one can see the eyes and ears and expression on the bat. The artwork is very, very minute. On the revese side, there are two minute hook-like perfortions for thread to be passed through to make it into a button.

The small curve and shallow channel of the perforations makes it a challenge to pass thread through it. But absorping the spirit from the original jade craftsmen I painstakingly teased the thread through the holes. This is how you go about it, first use the thinnest possible wire, bent as a needle, take a deep breath concentrate hard and gently use your fingers, heart and mind to pull it through. (Hey how did this become a Zen like exercise !) What a lot of work, and being so tiny will it ever catch anyones eyes? Only jade-obsessed folk like me will look, I guess.

Oh, and I'd like to mention that I had visitations from bats a few months ago. So far they have only given me their waste and I am still waiting for the "fu" !

Green Hearts on White Pearl

2008-04-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

I purchased this strand of freshwater pearls from South China many years ago when freshwater pearls were all the rage. Nowadays they look rather plain and dated. To jazz them up I dug into my miscellaneous box of odds and ends and made this lucky find of 5 tiny jade hearts which were looking for a perfect necklace to attach to.

I am happy that the green hearts attach themselves so well to the pearly white beads ! True this is no Tiffany or Kaleidoscope, but it is still a nice folksy piece for a nice folksy occasion , agreed ??

Many fishes in the sea....

2008-04-18T05:47:00.000-07:00

Well, these jade fishes are more likely to have come fom some boulder in some mountain than from the sea. I got this catch from a market, a flea market that is. Fish represents wealth and prosperity because the Chinese term for the fish, yu, is phonetically similar to the word for 'abundance'. It has been a favouredChinese design from neolithic times to the present day. The ones shown here are of some 10-50 years vintage.

Jade is a delightful medium for imitating nature. My set of fishes comes in all shapes, cuts and carvings. Some are flat, some in swimming pose, with curving tail, pouting mouth. The twin fishes or double fishes are symbolic of marital bliss but in present day coinage, it may represent the zodiac sign Pisces.

And not forgetting my beautiful auspicious nian nian you yu (every year have fish) earrings.

Other variations on the theme of Bis

2008-03-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Still on the theme of BIS, although strictly speaking the jade objects that I show on this post cannot be called Bis. However as their forms are mostly flat, circular and with a hole in the center I have lumped them as such and hope that purists will not hammer me.

The 3 bis in the above pic have a border made up of a "continuous chain of scooped out surfaces," somewhat like a concave hollow of a small saucer. According to my jade seniors(shifus) this scooping out of jade surfaces is a hallmark of Ming period jade.

Left Pic above shows 2 bis with off-centre holes. The first piece is shaped and carved as a flower while the right item also has a border of scooped out surface plus a centre decoration of a flower. They make nice present day pendants.
Right Pic shows an evolution in style. Instead of the chain of scooped out surfaces of the earlier examples this bi features a continuos chain of pearls. In my jade seniors opinion this is reflective of Qing workmanship and design

The 3 bis in the last picture show different kinds of twisted rope design. The first bi shows a thin intricately worked twisted rope, the middle is thick and flat while the one on the extreme right is fat and bulbous. Broadly speaking the first two are of Ming-Qing vintage and the last is a modern piece.

I love collecting these small jade objects and accessories and hope I have not been too off the mark in my descriptions and identification. Otherwise shifus out there may well give me a knock on the head !!

What a lovely way to wear your BI

2008-03-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

The BI is a form of jade artifact from ancient China. It is a flat jade disc with a circular hole in the centre

I bought these 2 bi shaped spinach green jade pieces more than 20 years ago from the ancient town of Dali in Yunnan Province. As Yunnan borders Myanmar these dark green jade are likely to have come from that region.

In the present day , bis are mostly used as pendants to be worn on a chain. There are also adaptations of bis as earrings see example below:

Left and center are 2 bis as pendants and on the right is a bi as earring.

It was only recently while reading a travelogue on Yunnan that I came across a picture of an old lady from the Naxi minorities group adorning her ears with a BI teamed up with silver and enamel hoops. See picture below:

This discovery made me realise that my two BIS which come from the same region, must have once served as Naxi or Bai minorities earrings. It gave me an idea to dig through my box of old silver bits and and come up with the copy cat versions as depicted below :

My antique silver and enamel hoops are a little worse for wear. They are not from the same region as the bis but are also Chinese. I estimate the age of this style of ear piece to be about 100 years or maybe earlier in the Qing period.

Inspite of the tarnished silver, What a lovely way to wear your BI !!

Gong Xi Fa Cai, here comes Ratty...

2008-02-06T05:22:00.000-08:00

What better way to ring in the Year of the Rat than with this gorgeously elaborate nephrite hairpin or is it a floral spray ?

I can't decide what this object should be and I can't imagine what the artist who invented this, (and I am sure it is reinvented and not its original setting) had in mind. If he meant it to be a hairpin its way too large. If a floral spray , how come it has a rat resting in the centre ?

Ahha ! he must have designed it with the Year of the Rat in mind! So he sat little white Ratty among a nephrite foliage, with a tiny bunch of red glass beads to brighten the effect.

I picked up this whimsical spray or hairpin at a local flea and the nephrite pieces estimated to be 100-300 years old. It is made up of 10 nephrite pieces of pierced and carved jade in shapes of butterfly, flowerpot, floral, figural with the little rat as a centrepiece.

Happy Lunar New Year of the Rat !

Happy 2008 !

2008-01-15T05:17:00.000-08:00

I spent a few happy hours on New Year's Day, 2008 looking through my bead box to come up with this necklace of agates, shell, and old glass.

Can't confirm whether the beads are ancient or replica but I have a strong suspicion that some of the agates, at least, have been made for the fake antiquities market. Only certain that the old red glass are genuine old. Might add that, had I seen this necklace displayed in an antiques shop, I would have been fooled and the moral of this tale is the tricky path we inexperienced collectors' tread. Anyway it is a handsome looking necklace to ring in 2008 !

Beancurd White Bracelet

2008-01-08T05:54:00.000-08:00

Beancurd is one of my comfort foods. The texture and color of the central bead on this bracelet is so soft and silken it resembles a piece of tofu. Its flat shape is just what I like to use in my composition of bracelets. This bead came to me as a gift all the way from Alaska, my dream land, mmmm! According to the donor it is made from fossil walrus ivory from the inner part of the tusk.

The accompanying spherical whitish beads are made from ancient glass and come from Vietnam. I was told by the seller that it originated in the Champa Dynasty ( 7th-15th Century AD) but I have no hard research to back up this statement. Only my gut feeling, my sense of touch and sight seem to indicate these are indeed ancient.

Wow, think I will wear this tofu beauty to my nephew's wedding party next month...but I just heard that it is gonna be a "formal" affair. Argh !! not exactly my kind of scene and I think tofu beauty would also feel out of place at a gala.

Asphyxiated with Lust....

2007-12-19T05:16:00.000-08:00

When I chanced upon these jade flowers in a shop on my last visit to China I was almost asphyxiated with Lust (but not of the Lee Ang kind) and throwing Caution (he! he!)to the winds I just had to own them. Luckily they were still within my modest budget otherwise like Lee Ang's heroine I might have to stake my life on them !!

The jade blossoms are either round or elongated in shape and except for the centre flower, all are carved in multi layers. Made from nephrite they date from Ming to Qing times and the shapes and patterns are well documented in Cheng Te Kun's paper "Jade flowers and floral patterns in Chinese decorative art". These exquisite ornaments "full of subtle charm and beauty" were used to adorn m'ladies hair or bodice. The black one is very rare, I haven't even seen it in a collectors' book, thats how rare it is !

Blue Pendant with Buffalo under the Moon

2007-10-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

This blue glass pendant hails from Yuan period of China (1115-1368AD)and was purchased together with items in the 2 earlier posts.

According to Simon Kwan's book Early Chinese glass on page 355 where there is a picture of a similar pendant, the pattern is popular in glass and bronze during the Yuan period and many pieces have been excavated from Mongolian graves.The book also describes the drawing in the pendant as "Buffalo under the moon" What I am wondering is altho I can see the buffalo, I can find no sign of the moon in the pendant. Nor in Simon Kwan's illustration on page 355. So I am still scratching my head as to why "under the moon" Only Simon Kwan can give the answer !

My piece is broken at the bottom and repaired and so appears Simon Kwan's example too.

Fire and Ice

2007-10-20T04:07:00.000-07:00

This tiny pair of earrings brings together my twin loves of jade and beads. I created this design by embedding red vintage glass beads into the heart of the vintage jade ring, the two held together with a silver clip. I love the flash of red glass lighting up the cool icy jade ring.

I never wear earrings myself, and how I became a maker and seller of earrings is another story. Why I never wear earrings is simply because I have never gotten round to piercing my ears.

Working with vintage jade can sometimes be frustrating because many of the standard findings will not fit into nooks and crannies of the old jade pieces.Making this particular pair gave me happiness as, bingo I quite fortuitously (learnt this word from reading Kundera) got everything to fit. I just hope that the earrings will be purchased by some sensitive soul sister and that it would beautify her ears and make her happy too.

Blue Florets and Pendant Beads Strand

2007-09-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

Here's yet another blue beauty. Composed from the same hoard of beads and florets as that in earlier posts. The central disk pendant (2.5cm) in this set bears remarkable resemblance to the cover picture in A Bead Timeline. Not exactly the same, the main difference being the siting of the stringing perforation. The example in A Bead timeline p39 is dated to 1,500 BC. and comes from the Late Bronze Age of West Asia. However my piece came from a Chinese source and seller thinks its vintaage should be Sung or Yuan period. For all I know (and hope) it may well be a Han piece especially the central pendant.

White Jade Bird in Semi Circle

2007-08-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

This piece may have been part of a pair or it may have been a standalone. Bird motifs are popular among jade carvers and this one has been beautifully pierced and carved. I am not quite sure what it served as but as there are no perforations for attachement, I would guess that it is an inlay piece for box or cupboard. Probably a Qing piece.

Amulets, Pendants & Coil Beads Necklace

2007-08-11T05:20:00.000-07:00

Another charmer (pun intended) is this ancient blue glass necklace which hails from the Sung/Yuan period of China. For want of a better term I have described the tiny bits in this necklace, as amulets but maybe they can also be called charms as they look not unlike the lucky charms attached to modern day bracelets.

These beads and components were salvaged from the box of a connoisseur collector's rejects. I thought they look too fascinating for discards and so bought them over to ponder on them and finally was inspired to compose this "charming" necklace. I concede that this is not a wearable strand and merely provides enchantment to the eyes and mind of the beholder !

Below is an enlargement of some of the "charms" or amulets from the necklace

Shown above are a hand with thumb outstretched, heart-shaped, tiny pendant and fruit.

2 Large Glass Beads as Flower Pots

2007-07-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

This pair of miniature flower pots are actually extra large jatim beads (6cmx6.5cm). Jatim beads are ancient glass beads from Indonesia. Unfortunately, this pair posted here may not be authentic. I had been disappointed with them for many years but now you may say "I have grown accustomed to their appearance..." and my crystal blossoms sit rather well on them too. Crystal blossoms, curtesy of my pal M.

Green Glass Beads & White Jade Split Ring Necklace

2007-07-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

Its loveliness increases

It will never pass into nothingness

but still will keep, a bower quiet for us,

and a sleep, full of sweet dreams,

and health, and quiet breathing.

I don't know what Keats had in mind when he wrote these words but this verse sure applies to my milleniums old white jade piece and my centuries old emerald green glass beads. This necklace combines my love of jade and glass beads.

The white jade in the shape of a slit ring was purchased in Southern Vietnam. I guess its vintage to be from the Sa Huynh culture of Southern Vietnam,(1000BC-200AD) and according to research, such rings were used as earrings by the natives of that long ago culture. This type of earring must have been pretty widespread in Vietnam as they have also been discovered at contemporary Dong Son(1000 BC) culture sites of Northern and Central Vietnam. Moreover they are also similar to the jade "jue" earrings already in use in neolithic China from as far back as 4500BC and this form of Chinese culture must have filtered down into Vietnam. Apologies for the long winded historical stuff. I try to depict my treasured pieces light heartedly but as this blog also serves as documentation for my collection, it has to fit in a few crusty facts too. I am intrigued by how these slit rings can fit into the earlobes of neolithic and bronze age man or is it woman ? How could it be secured ? Did these man or woman pierce their ears or were these rings simply clipped on ? What manner of garments, robes or hairstyles accompanied these ear ornaments ?? Hmm.... so many unaswered questions!! In my humble, 21st century opinion, I think such rings look better as pendants like the one conceived in my post !! (blush!)

The green glass beads on this necklace are also from Southern Vietnam but may have originated in China. These beads are young when compared to the jade ring, only at most 500-200 years ago. The emerald green beads contrast well with the lustrous white jade.

Large White Jade Ornament

2007-06-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

Talking about "exquisiteness" in previous post, here is one exquisite white jade flower. Carved in multi layers with the petals opening out it is quite the acme of beauty ! This type of shape, cut and design according to the Chinese literature is obviously (kai men jian shan) of Ming vintage. Its rather large size at 4cm seem to indicate that it is not a button despite the 2 openings at the centre. Possibly a lady's hair ornament with the metal fitting or cord passing through the centre openings. It is not a perfect piece though as there is some wear on the surface but it is quite pefect for me !

For comparison, below at left is a 21st century interpretation and copy of the old form. This modern chunky jade flower is mostly used as a choker with cord for attachement passing through the centre perforation. I have seen such choker
necklaces being sold in stores and pushcarts all around town. It is rather heavy and I have adapted it for use as a burner for incense cones (see pic on right)

Carnelian, glass and crystal bracelet

2007-06-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

Chilly, raspberry and ice these are some of my favourite things! No, I'm not talking about ingredients for a recipe but about the colors of my beads.The flat large hexagonal carnelian bead is chilly red while the smaller round beads are raspberry red. The 2 crystals give a nice icy contrast. So, chilly, raspberry and ice !
Got all these beads from varous parts of Vietnam.
Guess the flat carnelian and faceted crystal beads are ancient while the raspberry red round beads are only a few centuries old. The surface of the carnelian is worn with pits. To some critics this may be "rough" but to an addict like me its only just one of its "exquisite" charms !!

Box of Vintage Glass & Stone Buttons

2007-05-16T05:50:00.000-07:00

According to bead terminology a button is also a bead, hence this set of buttons is included in this bead blog.

Their vintage is about 70-100 plus years old, all originating in China. The buttons are of coral, glass, agate and stone. I am wondering what kind of garments would take such buttons ? An old style Qing jacket or a high neck cheongsam of the 1920s? Would the material be silk, chiffon or cotton ? I do wish there are more research material around for the study of such vintage buttons.

After writing the above I have been struck by the thought that these may not be buttons at all ! Perhaps they're pendants or hair ornaments. They may have dangled at the end of a hairpin. Well, a lot of collecting is about guessmate isnt't it ?? And until the day I find a picture of these button-like items in their original state of use, I won't be able to pinpoint their exact identity.

Mystery Jade Face

2007-05-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

This mystery jade face was partly inspired by the Mystery Men Exhibition, a travelling exhibition on the Sanxindui Excavations on the lost bronze age civilization of China. I was so impressed by the fascinating faces and gold masks on Mystery Men's face that I came up with this mystery jade face and hope it looks just as mysterious !

As this picture was composed shortly after the dark days of my recent eye operations and so maybe I should name this piece , "Light of my Eyes" ! However Hans commented that the face looked a tad sad. On reflection, I have to agree that my post operation blues must have influenced it. And so perhaps it should really be called "Face of Depression"! Whatever... this face will be commemorative of that bleak time !

Well, after winning a small prize in the Mystery Men contest, along came a friend who said the title of this post should be Mystery Woman from Xinjiapo !
That's pretty appropriate and she makes a good companion to the Mystery Men !

Etched Carnelian Beads Bracelet

2007-04-25T06:18:00.000-07:00

Another favourite bracelet, this time made of etched carnelian beads mostly from Burma. Locals here call these beads "xian zhu" or fairy beads and they are believed to be related to "tian zhu" or heavenly beads, which Westerners and Tibetans call "dZi". These beads are at least a few hundred to a thousand years old. The red spacer beads are made of old glass from Vietnam. All the beads were purchased separately and I had to wait a long time to put together this bracelet. As I was still short, I have included one plain faceted carnelian and one black banded agate to make up the whole piece. This bracelet composed in 2005.

Xizhou Glass and Faience Beads Bracelet

2007-04-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite bracelets, made up of ancient glass and faience beads from China's Xizhou Dynasty (1027-771 BC) Beads are cylindrical as well as biconical shape with small white disc shell beads. Teal colour some nearer to turquoise colour. The cylindrical beads are of faience while the biconicals are of glass. 2 of the biconical beads have undergone a "sea change" with the blue turning whitish, possibly as a result of decomposition of the glass due to long burial.

Beads purchased as a longer strand from Sichuan province and broken up into various projects. These over 2000 year old beads, really give me a pang ! I hardly dare to use this bracelet as it is so fragile and breakable. Hmmm....perhaps the biconical beads would be better as a earring dangle ! On second thoughts, maybe not such a good idea as it would mean putting wire and hooks through these lovely and brittle beads.

Jade Flower Hairpin

2007-03-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

This little jade flower on the left was originally

a hairpin. The centre inset of brass and jade

extends into the back as a pin holder but the

pin has long since gone missing. With help

from Heng who replaced the missing pin

with a metal clip, the jade piece has regained

its orignal use as a hair accessory, see picture

on right. Vintage: Ming -Qing Period. I got this

piece for a song from the local flea market.

Venetian Glass Beads Bracelets

2007-03-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Two bracelets made up of Venetian glass beads

from Indonesia. Vintage of beads about 100-300

years old. Wherever possible I love to wear my old

glass beads and these cool beads fitted very nicely

into bracelets for present day wear.

Crinoid Stem Beads from the Paleozoic Era

2007-03-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

"Crinoid stem beads were amongst the more common animals found in the sea floor communities of the Paleozoic era about 543 to 248 million years ago" Description taken from Bead data base with thanks. I suppose a layman like me would call them fossil beads from the remains of sea animals millions of years ago. My strand came from Cambodia and was a gift from Hans. Grey in color and barrel shaped they have a natural hole in the middle for stringing and the outer surface has natural ribbed decorations. They are rather sandy with mineral encrustations, and after 2 years, I am still mulling over how best to use them in my works.

A Set of White Nephrite Jade

2007-03-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

This set of small white yu pian (flat jade pieces) probably date back to the Ming period. Very delicately carved and pierced, some pieces still retain a bright luster. The set is made up of flower vases, ruyi, petal, lion, bamboo and a basket. Don't know what the original uses were. Could have been used as inlays for boxes, cupboards and the like.

Carnelian Butterfly Pendants

2007-02-17T06:33:00.000-08:00

According to bead terminology, a pierced pendant is also a bead. And that is why these four pendants have been included in this blog. Made from carnelian (or ma nao, in Chinese) these four beautiful butterflies date from the Qing Dynasty and make lovely accessories.

GRANDMA' S HEADWARMER

2007-01-29T05:40:00.000-08:00

In old China old ladies wear decorated head bands around their foreheads to keep out the chill. I think there must be a belief then, that the female forehead is vulnerable to chills especially among the old. So it is customary for old ladies to sport some head band. These old ladies must have been a fashionable lot too, as the headbands from that era are not just plain functional pieces but are fine embroidered pieces and some with jade pieces as added embellishments.

I purchased this old embroidered headband from a garage sale and have sewed some of my small jade ornaments on it to recreate a piece that might have been in vogue about 50-100 years ago.

NEPHRITE JADE LEAVES FROM SHANTOU

2007-01-29T02:16:00.000-08:00

This pair of dark green jade leaves was bought in a tourist village in Shantou.

Bet they must have formed part of an elaborate ladies' hair piece from the late Qing. Or could they have been a pair of early 20th century earrings ?

CARNELIAN BUTTON ON A SILK CORD

2007-01-29T01:06:00.000-08:00

This bright red carnelian , sometimes also called a button, was probably a hat ornament and maybe 60-100 years old. It has 2 pierced holes at the side for attachement with scallop edges and a carving that looks like a prawn (?) surrounded by a round border.

I bought it from some junk dealer. Thank goodness there are junkyard sales around to feed the collecting instincts of collectors like me who cannot always afford the premium collectibles.

Tied to a silk cord it now has a new life as a choker necklace.

Silk cord and pouch from Helens shop

Jade Decorated T-Shirts

2007-01-28T06:35:00.000-08:00

I love to wear these modern togs with olden jade decorations, although I seldom get the response I want, such as some compliments, please. Instead I get bland comments like, hey, how you wash them ? or what you gonna do when they get old ? Well, heck,the answers are I thought quite obvious - put them in a nylon washing bag and put them in the machine and as for shirts growing old, of course I would do what I always do that is recycle these precious jade pieces by putting them on to another T. Well a secret I'd like to share is the durability of jade. These pieces of mine have lasted if not a century then at least 50-80 years, as jade is one of the most indestructable stones and can stand a wash or scrub without mishap.
The initiated should also look at them mircoscopically through a loupe. Although tiny they have been patiently shaped and carved each one a unique piece depicting flower basket, insects or some traditional motif. The modern miss may decorate their clothes with sequins, crystals or rhinestones, but I would not exchange my faded jade decorations for any of these.

A Pair of Nephrite Jade Phoenixes

2007-01-21T06:08:00.000-08:00

A pair of phoenixes in celadon green nephrite. The phoenix is a mythical chinese animal with very positive associations. It is a symbol of high virtue and grace as well as the union of yin and yang. It appears in peaceful and prosperous times but hides when trouble is near. This is one regal bird ! Look at her cool glance and powerful talons. The strong and deep carving strokes on the jade seem to indicate a Ming vintage. I have wondered about its original use. Was it as some centrepiece in one of those dramatic headdresses such as seen in the TV series War and Beauty ?

Bird Bead from Java

2007-01-14T06:08:00.000-08:00

This bead is made of dark blue glass with a pattern of a bird on one side and a sunburst design on the other. Indo-Pacific bead probably 10th-14th century AD and discovered in Java.

White Jade Owl

2007-01-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

This is a white jade owl ornament possibly from the Shang Dynasty 16th CenturyBC or could be later. The wings curve inwards with a hollowed out concave back that includes a central ridge incorporating 2 stringing holes. Damage on the left side with alteration and iridesence in parts. The eyes are large and unblinking. Its mood is quiet and watchful, quite an arresting Owl !

Jade Flowers or Yu Hua

2007-01-06T00:40:00.000-08:00

These white nephrite jade flowers are among my favourites and hail from Shanxi, China. Because of their rather large size I conjecture that they may have been used as hair accessories rather than as buttons. Dating from about the Ming Period to the Qing Period

More nephrite jade flowers. On the left a beautifully scalloped mutton white piece, with doulble holes on the reverse, which means that it had served as a button. Next to it 6 smaller nephrite jade flowers in various shapes and designs. All from Ming-Qing periods.

A Winter Sonata Necklace

2007-01-03T05:12:00.000-08:00

This winter-white necklace is made up of Chinese glass beads from the Sung-Yuan period (960-1368AD) It consists of small Chinese coil beads, a cone-shaped bead, a raspberry-shaped bead and a floral glass button. The strand was composed it in 2005.

Birds & Petals on a Vine of Coil Beads

2007-01-03T04:55:00.000-08:00

This necklace is made up of Chinese blue glass coil beads and little glass ornaments consisting of blue birds and petals. Estimated age of beads and ornaments from the Liao-Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368AD). The birds and petals are made of blue glass to imitate turquoise which was a much sought after semiprecious stone in those days. I speculate that the birds and petals had originally been used as buttons or hair accessories. I composed this necklace in 2005.

Crystal Jade

2007-01-02T05:27:00.000-08:00

I composed this to reflect my love for jade and crystal.

Shows tiny jade frogs frolicking on a slab of crystal.

Hmmm maybe Crystal Jade Kitchen would like this for their logo !

Jade Choker Necklace

2007-01-02T04:59:00.000-08:00

This necklace was gifted to me by my friend, Madeline. She designed it and had it custom made. It is composed of a centre piece of ancient jade, possibly dating from the Shang dynasty (1600-1027 BC) to Zhou dynasty (1027-221 BC) There is lovely patina and veins, the result of age, on the surface of the jade. The crescent-shaped jade may have originally formed part of a Bi and may also have served as a lower-side piece in a "gentleman's ancient girdle-pendant set" The 2 perforations are conical-shaped possibly made with bamboo drills. The accompanying amber and turquoise beads are new. Strung in Chinese silk cord.

Nephrite Jade

2007-01-01T06:28:00.000-08:00

Here are 4 nephrite jade pieces in my collection dating

from the Qing-Ming periods. They make lovely pendants.