Large Spherical Jade Bead

This emerald-green satin cord of snake knots 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.

A Peasant's Smile !

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. :)