Category Archives: Chinese Jewelry

I use many Chinese carved jade pendants in my custom necklaces and I had wanted to do a post about the differences that make one jade pendant: ‘good-better-best’. So I asked Bob to photograph a number of pendants from my collection. While he was photographing them, he pointed out that there was one which stood [...]

A new version of the Eight Immortals… When I showed this bracelet to a friend she asked me why the maker would have made such an unusual variation of the traditional Immortals bracelet… [ click on images to enlarge .... photos by: RP (Bob) Birt ] The eight panels of this bracelet are triangles -curved [...]

This is a rare bracelet that I have been trying to find for years. I found two smoky quartz pendants 5 years ago… so I have always believed there was a Chinese Carved Smokey Quartz bracelet out there somewhere … it would just be a matter of time. [ click on images to enlarge .... [...]

We have maintained an archive of the hundreds of items sold in our listing galleries since the very beginning of the Blog, While we have seen some very creative emails to ask for listing prices, we have also enjoyed the hundreds of emails thanking us for maintaining an archive that has helped people research and [...]

This post might have been easily  titled "The Peach Pits of Immortality?" The small 10mm carved olive pits in this 19th century necklace may look familiar to you if you have been reading this blog for a while … [ click on images to enlarge .... photos by: RP (Bob) Birt ] They are the [...]

Once in a while we find a piece that I consider ‘really rare’… this amethyst and white jade necklace is my new favorite. [ click on images to enlarge .... photos by: RP (Bob) Birt ] What makes a piece rare? This is original 19th century Chinese knotting… and an unusual combination of amethyst and [...]

May the Year of the Dragon bring you health and prosperity!

We spend a lot of time admiring the elaborate carving achieved by the early 18th and 19th century Chinese artisans trained from childhood to carve gemstones. So, this bracelet was a surprise when we found it… just three huge pieces of tourmaline in a simple silver setting that reminds me of the work of the [...]