PrivateCollection | Chinese Jewelry Photo Blog

PrivateCollection is the Photo Blog for Susan Dods, a long time antique dealer and collector. The site features photographs and commentary on very special pieces of Chinese Jewelry. The listing Gallery displays items for sale. Rather than searching the archive, view ALL of the posts at one time with our exclusive PictureBook format. 相片书 If you would like to preview all of the items that have been featured on this site, we have created a special sideshow ... just click on this link.

Chinese Monkey King in Jade

By Susan April 19, 2010

The monkey is a common subject in Chinese art… these two carvings represent the most famous monkey in Asia…

His name is Sun Wu-Kong or the ‘Monkey King’… he is an important character in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West…( Wikipedia has a wonderful synopsis). Patricia Welch in her book, Chinese Art, Tuttle Publishing, says: "his most famous antic is stealing the peaches of immortality" (from the humans).

These two jade carvings are great examples of very different styles of carving. The pale lavender-green jadeite monkey with peach shows marks that indicate early 20th century carving …the lines are clean, crisp and slightly exaggerated.

The white jade monkey is probably 18th century, treadle carved, all the surfaces feel like silk… this is a piece that has been fondled by human hands for many, many years on a scholars’ desk or hanging from his waist sash,,, a piece that has been loved and still is!

Visit PrivateCollection’s PictureBook to see additional photos… many in larger formats.

Posted in Chinese Jewelry | 3 Comments

Chinese Qing Dynasty Hair Pins

By Susan April 12, 2010

In the Qing Dynasty, men of wealthy upper class wore hats and ornaments such as hat buttons the clearly indicated their rank. Their wives’ hair style and ornaments also tell a story….

I was fortunate to find these two silver repoussé enameled hairpins… these belonged to a Manchu woman. They are shaped like the ruyi scepter and decorated with the symbols for the 8 Immortals.

The hairpins are signed by the silversmith… and treasured because one of them has been repaired.

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The two hairpins would have been used for a Manchu woman’s double bun. "ladies also wore large horned headdresses that were derived from the way Mongol women dressed and encased their hair into two ram like horns", Patricia Berger, Beauty, Wealth and Power, 1992.

We have not been able to find a digital image of the hairstyle but it reminds me of a carving in a bracelet I once owned…

For more information on the complex world of Chinese hair ornaments, there is a chapter in Margaret Duda’s fabulous book with 170 other examples of early Chinese hair ornaments…

Visit PrivateCollection’s PictureBook to see additional photos… many in larger formats.

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Chinese Silver Carved Amethyst Bracelet

By Susan March 22, 2010

This early amethyst carving of melons, flowers and a badger … symbols associated with marriage … is a work of art by a master craftsman.

Amethyst is a member of the quartz family of gemstones so it has a crystal structure… in the West, amethysts are usually seen faceted. It is very rare to see all this open work carving in a piece of quartz (which shatters so easily) …so it would require a VERY skilled carver!

The first time that I showed this bracelet to my gemologist Ralph Schroetter, he said “three artists: a carver, a silversmith and an enameller… between them, many hours of work … how does one put a value on that?”

The carving itself is probably Qing Dynasty… after 1911 many Qing ornaments were reworked for sale to Western markets. It is really a rare treasure – the only one of the ‘big bracelets’ set with amethyst I have ever seen.

Visit PrivateCollection’s PictureBook to see additional photos.

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Chinese Carved Glass Knotted Beads

By Susan March 12, 2010

This fabulous necklace of oval blue glass beads carved with the Shou Symbol is an example of the finest Chinese glass carving…

It is also the best example that I have ever seen of another art form… Chinese knots. When pearls and precious stone beads are strung, a simple knot is placed between the beads to protect them from damage.

The knotting on this necklace is a 19th century style – but the simple button knots are made with gold thread…

The larger eternal knots (Pan Chang) show two connected eternal knots with suggests that this was a wedding necklace.

It is stunning!

For more information: Chinese Knots for Beaded Jewellery by Suzen Millodot is available on Amazon.

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Chinese 19th century Carved Jade Lock Revisited

By RP February 28, 2010

Photographing jade is always a challenge. It is difficult to capture the ‘life’ that is there. Normally, I wouldn’t include my fingers in a shoot… but with this piece it was easier to tilt the object than the camera. I had originally photographed this 19th century Nephrite Chinese lock for PrivateCollection’s 07-04-11 blog but I was never happy with the photos… I am glad I had a second chance.

Now that lightbox is installed on the site, I can use a mixture of different sizes of images in the layout but when lightbox is launched, all of the images are grouped together by lightbox into one enlarged presentation …. give it a try … click on any image!

It really adds flexibility for layouts and impact to the photos.

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China Straits Silver Dragon Bracelets

By RP February 13, 2010

These wonderful dragon bracelets came to me at different times from different sources… but the workmanship is so similar that I believe they were made by the same artist.

The technique use is called filigree and granulation in most of North America … in Europe it is called granule work … sometimes wirework. The detail on these bracelets is just amazing … the teeth are sharp and the tongues are flexible.

These bracelets are Chinese but not made in China …another wonderful book helped me identify them …“Straits Chinese Silver, a Collectors Guide“, by Ho Wing Meng.

“During the late nineteenth century large quantities of Straits Chinese silver were being fabricated in small towns in Malaya and Singapore by local Chinese silversmiths, immigrants from Mainland China.”… Straits Chinese Silver is fast becoming a rarity”

These bracelets have so much character… in fact my photographer had posted photos of these on his website with captions … which prompted me to write about them… and take a break from the series on beads that I had been promising!

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Chinese Mandarin Court Necklace Glass Beads

By Susan February 1, 2010

This Mandarin Court Necklace has been sitting in one of my boxes for many years…the four drops do not match the counting or the head beads…but I have searched and searched and I still cannot find the blue glass drops. I decided to show the necklace as I found it…because this necklace begins a story…the story of Chinese glass beads…a story that I have wanted to tell for a very long time…

"Hardly any documents of historical value have been kept on ancient Chinese beads"… G. B. Fenstermaker

Very little has been written on the techniques used by Chinese artisans and bead makers…for hundreds of years most craftsmen could not write and the secrets of their craft have been handed down in an oral tradition from father to son.

There is a lovely small book "The Chinese Bead ", written by G. B. Fenstermaker. I found a copy on eBay abut 10 years ago…it contains a lot of information…and a photo of a complete court necklace with blue glass and carved pits very similar to mine. The book was published in 1979, so it is not easy to find but worth looking for.

The blue carved counting beads on the Fenstermaker necklace are exactly the same as the counting beads on this court necklace of mine. Over the years I have found several strings of the small blue beads carved with the Shou symbol mixed with various other beads… because these beads also appear on two court necklaces, (mine and Fenstermaker’s), I believe these beads were always considered court beads.

Now, look at the blue glass head beads and Fodouda from the Mandarin Court Necklace and the large green glass head beads on the hand knotted necklace…they are exactly the same beads in different colors…the green bead necklace has been made from parts of a Court Necklace… lovely knotting with all silk cord.

I will continue the story of Mandarin glass beads soon….

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Chinese Silver Dragon Bead Necklace

By Susan January 20, 2010

These silver dragon beads surprised and amazed me when I first saw them…after 10 years of research it is always a pleasure to see something so unique.