This bagful of dusty, old jade charms had been sitting in my drawers for some years now.
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| Bagful of old jade charms |
Occasionally I would dig them up to make the odd earring for a Christmas or New Year gift. Because these charms had a random pre-life (as hairpin, toggle or accessory) it is hard to find an exact matching pair for earrings.
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| Charms of every shape and size - hard to find an identical pair |
And earring wearers are also loth to put on unmatched pairs, so it had not been an altogether successful project for these hand cut charms
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| Mismatched charms |
While mulling over them one day I had an epiphany and I was struck by a sudden brainwave to reinvent them into jade sprays. Learning to wire these charms into a spray needed a few hours to master.
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| Practice piece |
From this charm making exercise I also got an opportunity to use and show off antique glass bottles from my old bottles collection. These bottles had been languishing in shoe boxes with nary a glance from admirers showered on them and now they have been rejuvenated! Look, how well they complement my little jade sprays.
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| Antique glass bottles complement my jade sprays |
These bottles are also interesting old glass specimens. The two end bottles look like 1920's perfume bottles and the gourd shape bottle could have been used for Chinese herbal medicine. Next to it is a carved crystal snuff bottle which I have converted into mini vase for my jade spray.
I have also roped in a 1970s or 80s Joy perfume bottle to plant my jade spray with pearl accents, shown below.
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| Joy and Jade make a lovely pair! |
My jade sprays stand out below with my 1,000 year old Sung dynasty (960-1279AD) greenware pot. Together they form a classic composition. |
| Unending beauty - jade and Sung greenware |
Wiring these tiny charms into sprays have been therapeutic . How they cheer me and heal the stress and pain of daily living. |
| Jade as healer |
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