Private Collection

Taking a Break

2008-06-14T09:47:00.001-05:00

We are taking a break until the end of July while we are getting settled in our new home... we will have some exciting new pieces for both the PhotoBlog and the Listings Gallery... See you in August!

Chinese Qing Dynasty Rank Purse

2008-05-29T07:12:00.001-05:00

At first glance this appears to be a lovely elaborately embroidered ladies handbag, silk thread on silk cloth with Peking glass handles. There is an interesting story behind this elegant purse.

During the Qing Dynasty officials wore badges sewn to their robes which indicated their rank and area of service. All military officials wore badges embroidered with specific animals... the civil officials wore badges embroidered with various birds. The badges were square... a solid square on the back of the jacket and a split square on the front at the opening.

This custom evolved over time and in the 19th century the wives of court officials were allowed to wear squares that indicated their husband's rank... with one difference... on a man's badge the animal or bird faces left on the wife's badge, it would face right.

So this handbag, embroidered with a peacock would have been the property of a woman married to a civil official of the third rank.

For more information, there is an interesting article on Wikipedia.

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

Chinese White Jade Beads

2008-05-20T05:37:00.001-05:00

My photographer had to spend a lot of time with these beads... they have a life and personality that changes with the time of day and light.

He offered to buy them so that he wouldn't have to photograph them anymore... I said "no!". So he presented me with six different lighting and background combinations and asked me to: "take my pick!"

I believe that these beads were originally part of a Mandarin Court Necklace. The 28 smaller 11 mm beads are semi-translucent white jade with pale green undertones... carved with a stylized Shou symbol on 4 sides. The three 20mm larger beads are an opaque pale green with the Shou on 2 sides and provide a stable contrast for the liveliness of the smaller beads.

These beads came from a man who told me; "my mother brought back a much larger necklace from a visit to China in the 1960's and had her jeweler make it into several separate necklaces which she gave to family and friends as a souvenir of her trip."

It makes me wonder... how many Mandarin Court Necklaces met a similar fate?

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

Chinese Ingenuity in Silver

2008-05-07T13:53:00.001-05:00

As we looked at the list trying to decide what to write about next...it occurred to me that it made some sense to write about another Qilin to build on the information in the last 2 posts.

This 1920's bracelet is not only a great example of how a Qilin is used ornamentally but also the ingenuity found in Chinese silver jewelry.

From each end of the cuff a Qilin head grins at you...surrounded by floral and palm engravings... the top of the cuff is carved repoussé birds. The massive size and elaborate workmanship make this an ostentatious display of wealth and power.

[ photos by: RidgewoodEntrust ]

Several years ago I found a smaller bracelet with the same construction made of brass and copper.
Both bracelets have the same makers mark; #23 SG MADE IN CHINA... but clearly these were custom made for different wrists.

This is the most ingenious construction I have ever seen in a bracelet... The artist took the form of of the bracelet and turned the entire bracelet into a clasp.

We have shown this to several jewelry experts and they agree... what a remarkable combination of form and function... not to mention beauty!

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Chinese Silver Coral Qilin Bracelet

2008-04-22T06:40:00.001-05:00

The silver Qilin pendant in my last post is not the only use of this popular mythological figure in Chinese ornaments... the rank badges of high court officials would be embroidered with the Qilin, it appeared in all ornamental forms from paintings to paper lanterns.

This salmon coral carving of the Qilin is one of the rarer examples...likely a 19th century carving set c.1900-1930 as a bracelet...a custom setting ...one I have never seen before...features six Qilin in silver, repoussé carved and chased.

The mark is also informative: PEIPING CHINA SILVER BEE...

PEIPING is an older spelling of Peking; now Beijing. Very few pieces of Chinese jewelry identify the region in which the piece was made... here we have the place as well as the mark of the maker or workshop - BEE.

The field of Chinese export jewelry is a relatively new area for collectors ...there are no reference books...so collecting interesting marks like this one is almost as exciting as the rare coral carving.

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

Chinese Silver Qilin and Bead Necklace

2008-04-10T06:36:00.001-05:00

The Qilin ( pronounced "chee-lin") is a mythological creature ....one of the four mythological creatures that have been part of Chinese culture for many centuries. Sometimes it is referred to as the Chinese Unicorn ...it is always a symbol for good fortune in many forms.

c. 19th century, Qilin with figure carrying a fan, all silver, front repoussé chased detail, flat back.

The Qilin necklace could be worn by a young man wishing for good grades on his civil service examinations or worn by a wife hoping to give birth to many sons. A smaller version might be worn by a child for protection. The Qilin also governed the west ...so it is connected with the ideas of maturity and fulfillment.

Traditionally, Chinese Silver ornaments such as this Qilin were worn simply with a heavy silver chain... the beads on this one were probably added some time during the 20th century to make the necklace more appealing to the western market.

At the time I purchased this, the old bead string was rotting and needed to be replaced. The beads themselves were so unusual and uncommon; translucent jade, melon carved silver, celadon carved with the Shou symbol, I made the decision to keep them together.

The Qilin pendants offered artisans who worked in silver an opportunity to express their creativity...you could probably spend a lifetime just collecting Qilins and never find two alike.

Visit PrivateCollection's PictureBook to see additional photos, many in a larger format.

Chinese Reeled and Plied Silk Thread

2008-03-31T07:38:00.001-05:00

The Mystery of the Mandarin Court Bead

People who know me will know that I love a good mystery... from Sherlock Holmes to Miss Marple and Joe Leaphorn... and for many years I have been puzzled by finding fabulous Chinese beads with holes that were so large that no standard thread was large enough to create a knot between the beads.

Bead people know that valuable beads and pearls are always strung on silk cord, knotted between each bead.

Last year I found this fragment of a Mandarin Court necklace... hollow carved bone beads...with a thread that I had never seen before. The 4mm hole in the bead was filled with a thread many times thicker than any commercial silk thread I have ever seen.

As my interest in collecting Chinese ornaments grew and I acquired more partial and complete court necklaces, I kept promising myself that 'someday soon' I would get back around to finding out more about that mysterious thread.

So finally this week I showed the thread to my fibre consultant Laurie Goldiuk who explained to me that this thread is handmade reeled silk... silk drawn from the cocoon of the silkworm ...multiple cocoons were simultaneously reeled and plied to create the thread you see here.

Mystery solved ...because so many court necklaces were cut up in the 20th century, the original thread was often discarded ...court necklaces were prayer beads and wouldn't be knotted ...and this thick plied silk used with the large holes would allow some movement of the beads and protect the precious stone beads from damage.

If you have a bit of time, there is also a very good web site [link] that illustrates the fascinating process that Asian artisans have used for centuries to produce silk.

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Chinese White Jade Caving

2008-03-19T09:21:00.005-05:00

The figures, bald and smiling are commonly referred to as the Heavenly Twins or Hoho Twins or Hehe-Erxian Twins...they symbolize perfect partnership and express the idea that harmony is more profitable than strife … so for centuries they were offered as wedding gifts in China.

This lovely example gives me an opportunity to compare two similar jade carvings... this and one from the 07-06-01 Chinese Wedding Set-Jade and Silver post.

The one on the left is from the previous post...the current piece is on the right.

Both pieces are white jade, both are hand carved and reticulated.. but this example is rarer than the first…the jade is a finer stone with more luster and the carving is more elaborate; all the edges are fully rounded and both sides of the stone are fully carved with the same scene … a tour de force of carving.

The custom gold frame is a later addition …and reflects the value the owner placed on this piece.

c.18th-19th century, carved white (mutton fat) jade Heavenly Twins... set in 20th century custom made 14KYG frame. Frame: 4.5cm x 5.8cm, Jade: 4cm x 5.5cm, Thickness: 5mm.

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Chinese Silver Jade Set by Liu

2008-03-12T06:17:00.001-05:00

In the world of Chinese silver jewelry and ornament, very few individual craftsmen have been identified.

Many dramatic pieces like the large enamel or Daoist Wedding Bracelet would logically have been the work of several artists ... a silversmith, a specialist in enameling and a stone carver ...so each piece is the product of a workshop not an individual artist.

So I was excited when I found this set... with the name of its artist... the same artist who set the sapphire and seed pearl necklace I featured in my December 06, 2007 post.

Liu has a distinct personal style ... no repoussé or carving ... his delicate floral's and figural symbols are engraved on vermeil. The style suggests to me that he worked in the period between 1890 and 1920 when this lighter style was very popular in western markets.

The quality of the stones he uses in the pieces I own...the fabulous sapphire ...the high grade translucent jade, also suggest that his work was primarily custom made. Thank you Mr. Liu!

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Chinese Coral Enamel Kingfisher Set

2008-02-28T07:19:00.001-05:00

Eye candy... that's what I call this set ... the brilliant blue of kingfisher feathers is a perfect contrast for the tube of coral seed beads... a medium salmon red.

I had a dear friend of mine, a professional bead artist, examine this necklace to explain how is was constructed. He says the coral was needle woven with a tubular 'peyote' stitch (also know as a gourd stitch). This stitch was named 'peyote' in the U.S. in the late 19th century because it was often used by Native Americans ...research shows this stitch was also used in Africa and Guatemala... so while none of the resources that I checked mentioned China ... it is pretty obvious from this piece that it was used there... if anyone knows what it is named in China, I would love to hear from you.

Ornaments like these one were worn by women in the Mandarin Court and were symbols of wealth and status. Costly materials ... the coral imported from Italy, the rare feathers... the intensive labor, all combine to make this fragile beauty as rare and desirable as it was 150 years ago.

[adapted with screw back findings c.1920]

Eiberhard comments in the Dictionary of Chinese Symbols, 1986: "Chinese are people of the eye." This set is a wonderful example.

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Centuries of Chinese Silver-Republished

2008-02-19T17:48:00.001-05:00

A year ago, I was asked to write an article for the Canadian Magazine Jewellery Business. "Centuries of Chinese Silver" appeared in their February 2007 edition. We have created a version of the article in the PictureBook section of the site to make it easier for readers to reference it.

The original article is still available on line. It was great working with the folks there and I hope you enjoy the article!

Chinese Kingfisher Set

2008-02-07T09:27:00.001-05:00

My last post was about the beauty of Chinese enamels. For thousands of years Chinese artisans found another way to add colour to their metal ornaments without enameling. The art; tian-tsui (“dotting with kingfishers”) utilized the iridescent blue feathers of the Kingfisher as an inlay for ornaments ranging from large decorative screens to the small pieces of jewelry featured here.

My collection focuses on late 19th and early 20th century pieces. Early pieces of Kingfisher jewelry use only the blue feathers... as seen in these photos the later pieces incorporate feathers of other vibrant colours...

The kingfisher was highly prized for its brilliant plumage... a small bird... slightly larger than a sparrow... the demand for feathers almost brought these birds to extinction and by 1930 all the workshops producing this jewelry had closed.

... these pieces mix the blue with red, green and purple feathers ... I'm not sure if this mix of colours was because of the scarcity of the feathers or a new artistic style.

Chinese artisans painstakingly glued small clippings of feathers to gold, silver or brass ornaments.

Please.. never try to clean these pieces. They are quite delicate and fragile ...very difficult to restore.

For more information on this fascinating art form see "Kingfisher Blue: Treasures of an Ancient Chinese Art", Beverley Jackson, Ten Speed Press.

Visit PrivateCollection's PictureBook to see additional photos.

Chinese Enamel Immortals Silver Set

2008-01-29T07:42:00.001-05:00

When the words 'Chinese' and 'enamel' are combined, many people automatically think of cloisonné.

In Oriental Cloisonné and Other Enamels, 1975, the Chu's support the theory that cloisonné was introduced into China from Persia in the 13th and 14th centuries during the Mongol invasions. Cloisonné enamel frequently appears on Chinese jewelry of the late 19th and early 10th centuries.

But another technique...painted enamel was introduced to China from France in the early 18th century...sometimes referred to as 'Canton enamels'... The use of painted enamel gained rapid acceptance because it utilized the skills of the many trained artisans who had been painting porcelain for centuries.

This set also required a silversmith... the figures are repoussé metal stamped or pressed from the underside... enamel on repoussé is the most fragile of all enamels... enamel is essentially glass...in cloisonné the glass is protected by the wire work... in painted repoussé there is no protection.

So it is quite rare to find a painted enamel set in such great condition.

The Immortals

When I saw this set my first thought was of the Eight Immortals (reference) so I started counting... and realized there were more than eight different figures... in fact there were nine.

In researching this, I found a number of examples where the Eight Immortals were joined by Shou, the God of Longevity, with his peach wood staff. I believe that is his representation in the middle....flanked on each side by four Immortals.

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Listing Gallery Update

2008-01-24T08:59:00.001-05:00

We are adding these items to the listing gallery today.

Be sure to contact me with any questions. Enjoy!

Chinese Silver Enamel Coral Dragon Bracelet

2008-01-17T09:38:00.001-05:00

As a collector, I love to find variations on a theme ...the two dragons chasing the pearl is one of the most common images in Chinese ornaments and this is the third dragon and pearl bracelet that I have written about.

Hand cut salmon coral beads; threaded and wrapped ... sliver dragons with blue enamel highlights ... solid silver pearl.

Just look at the three bracelets .... they say more about the creativity and ethnic diversity of the Chinese silversmith than I can.

Chinese Silver Enamel Coral Dragon Bracelet c. 1880-1910, Marked: SILVER. Diameter: 8.3cm outer, 6cm inner.

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Chinese Daoist Wedding Bracelet

2008-01-09T13:23:00.001-05:00

Colour was the first thing that attracted me to this bracelet... red and green... with vibrant blue highlights.

In China red and green are the colours of life ... associated with summer and spring ... traditional wedding clothing is red ...fertility is associated with the colour green.

Here the red enamel is a bottle gourd... a Daoist symbol associated with longevity, fertility and prosperity... and the gourds are shown with ribbons attached, which give the gourd supernatural powers.

The three carved jade figures at the centre of this bracelet are; Fu, Lu and Shou ( see my previous Qing Dynasty Silver Jade Lock post) ... the Three Stellar Gods.

This is a wonderful example of Qing era jade being used in early 20th century settings...

c. 1930-40, 5 curved links of mesh with openwork cloisonné. Marked-SILVER MADE IN CHINA, 5.1cm x 18cm. Three white jade figures; 3cm x 1.4cm, 2.8cm x 1.3cm, 2.5cm x 1.5cm.

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Anniversary Already?

2008-01-04T17:24:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe that an entire year has gone by since the PrivateCollection site was launched! I want to thank all of the readers who have encouraged us to 'keep at it' with their emails and support.

We have posted 26 entries this year and we look forward to posting more entries. Here is a sample of those items. Please visit the PictureBook archive to see all 26 posts and their photos.

Happy New Year!!!

Chinese Silver Turquoise Bracelet

2007-12-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

The form of this extra wide (4.4cm) Chinese silver bangle shows the influence of the Western market on the 19th century Chinese silversmith. Large decorated silver bangles became popular in Europe in the mid 19th century.

[click on images to enlarge .... photos by: RidgewoodEntrust]

What intrigues me about this bracelet is that the construction appears western while the decoration is Chinese...carved turquoise cabochons on one side and a dreamlike, almost surreal scene of Chinese symbols on the other: immortals floating in the air on leaves that spill out of a gigantic vase...with a huge dragonfly hovering to one side.

The construction; the tongue clasp, the two panel hollow construction with the flat edge, the hinge...none of these appear in 18th or early 19th century Chinese bracelets. But these details do appear in British and European bangles c. 1850.

In 1844 Louis Comfort Tiffany was one of many Western merchants who traveled to China and brought back large orders of silver...so there must have been a cross pollination of ideas.

I have owned this bracelet for a long time...and I continually put off writing about it...thinking I will be able to describe the compelling dreamlike scene ...perhaps that is why we have a PhotoBlog...hopefully these pictures are worth a 1000 words?

Visit PrivateCollection's PictureBook to see additional photos.

Chinese Sapphire and Seed Pearl Necklace

2007-12-06T13:01:00.001-05:00

Do you believe in magic? Is it possible that a gemstone can bring the wearer good fortune? There seem to be a number of opinions...for centuries the Sapphire, in addition to its obvious beauty, has been associated with mystical and healing powers.

[click on images to enlarge .... photos by: RidgewoodEntrust]

"In 1299, the Queen gave King Edward I a gold pendant set with a large sapphire...to be worn next to the skin, so that its magical powers might benefit the wearer." J. Evans, A History of Jewellery.

"The sapphire was a ticket to immortality and was popular with ancient rulers." H. Newman, Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry.

"In the far east the blue sapphire has a peculiar superstition attached to it...it will either bring the wearer great luck and fortune or great misfortune but it is not until the owner has worn the actual stone that he or she will know which way fortune will swing." M. Poynder, Price Guide to Jewellery.

This 19th century necklace consists of a 132 carat (approx.) hand carved cabochon cut natural blue sapphire set in a vermeil pendent. This alone would be striking, but the addition of 23 1.5mm and 257 1mm natural pearls that have been drilled and strung on a fine silk thread does make the pendent magical. The chain is 26 inches long and has 7 pearl rosettes.

"Oriental pearl- the highest quality pearl...such pearls were brought to Europe in Medieval Times...often regarded as more valuable that a diamond." H. Newman, Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry.

Several years ago a friend introduced me to a gemologist who is also a custom jeweler. Ralph Schroetter is a great teacher....he understands both gemstones, construction and collects rare stones.

When I first showed him this necklace he was even more excited than I was. We are both still in awe of how the tiny seed pearls were strung on such fine strands of silk...perhaps the sapphire brought magic to their stringer?

Visit PrivateCollection's PictureBook to see additional photos.

Chinese Bone and Coral Set

2007-11-28T10:25:00.000-05:00

This glamorous 4 piece set celebrates one of the Daoist 8 Immortals, He Xiangu, the patron deity of housewives.

[click on images to enlarge .... photos by: RidgewoodEntrust]

There are many differing stories of He-Xiangu and how she became an Immortal... that she was attacked by a demon and rescued by Lü Yan (Lü Dòngbin) ...or that Lü Dòngbin fell in love with her and brought her to join the Immortals. Author Richard Wilhelm was told; that she had sworn never to marry and one day when she was cooking rice, Lü Dòngbin came and released her and she joined the Immortals still holding the ladle in her hand.

Clearly made for a prosperous housewife...the carved plaques are tea stained ivory or bone (difficult to tell), surrounded by coral and set in vermeil...filigree flowers and clouds...with coral good fortune symbols.

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Qing Dynasty Silver Jade Lock

2007-11-12T08:49:00.000-05:00

This is a piece of history...elaborate repoussé silver on one side: silver and nephrite jade on the other. Its beauty is compelling even if one is not familiar with the rich symbolism depicted in the figures and symbols on this massive (15.5cm x 14cm) piece.

[click on images to enlarge .... photos by: RidgewoodEntrust]

By the start of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) there was a large synthesis of Daoist, Confucian, Buddhist and folk practices reflected in the symbols used on Chinese ornaments.

The three major figures carved in the silver are originally Daoist... Fu-Xing, Lu-Xing and Shou-Xing...the Three Stellar Gods, commonly referred to as Fu Lu Shou.

Fu-Xing, god of blessings-both wealth and progeny, carries a child, he is a retired scholar and wears and official's hat. Lu-Xing, god of rank, wears a large officials' hat with wings and carries a Ruyi scepter. Shou-Xing, god of longevity, carries a peach (immortality) and a stick ...he is bald with a long beard.

The richly decorated background includes a pair of coins (Buddhist symbol), bats (folk) and the bottle gourd (Daoist).

The reverse side of the lock holds nephrite jade with a floral repoussé silver surround. The jade is carved with 'good fortune symbols' and characters reflecting the story on the silver side.

The three large (3 cm) balls that hang from the lock are called tiger bells...carved with an abstract face of the ferocious beast...they are widely used to frighten off evil spirits.

When I showed it to an old friend, a knowledgeable silver dealer, she gasped and said "you can just feel how old it is!"

Old in China means something really different than "old' in North America. In her fabulous book, Four Centuries of Silver, Margaret Duda has written an entire chapter on the evolution of the symbolic lock alone.

Commenting on a culture more than 4000 years old, from the most heavily populated country in the world, including over 60 ethnic groups with four major religions is a challenge especially in a few paragraphs.

I encourage readers to explore and discover more.

Visit PrivateCollection's PictureBook to see additional photos.

New Items for the Listing Gallery

2007-11-09T08:56:00.000-05:00

Today we added 27 new items to the PrivateCollection gallery. Please browse around and contact us if you have any questions. These pieces will be listed exclusively on this site for a week before we add them to the catalogue on Trocadero. Enjoy!

Chinese Jade Devil's Work Necklace

2007-10-29T07:50:00.000-05:00

This dramatic necklace is an example of the art form of carving and piercing jade that Chinese often refer to as 'the devil's work'.

The necklace is composed of five nephrite jade carvings connected by a series of balls and circular links covered with 1mm glass beads.

[click on images to enlarge .... photos by: RidgewoodEntrust]

The four identical carvings are called 'flower baskets'. For each flower basket one piece of jade has been pierced and carved into three sections that are interlocked and move freely.

In The Collectors Book of Jade (1978), the Chu's say "this elaborate open work...was commonly referred to as devil's work because it was hardly possible for human hands". They estimate it would take almost a week to carve and polish a single ring. My estimate is that this necklace represents at least a month of work.

As always with Chinese ornaments, craft is only half the story...the flower baskets are symbols of abundance; the red of the beads is the color associated with wealth, summer and weddings.

The nephrite pendant at the the center is a vase filled with flowers. In Chinese the words vase and peace sound identical so the vase is a symbol for peace.

The vase in combination with various flowers and fruits carries wishes for many kinds of peace...for the New Year; for a successful career or for a fruitful marriage. Here the two lotus blossoms in the vase suggest the wish for harmony, longevity and eternal love.

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Chinese Silver Tourmaline Bracelet

2007-10-19T12:53:00.002-05:00

One of the joys of collecting jewelry from the other side of the globe is the difference in style and techniques. The second pleasure for me is coming across stones not usually seen in our North American pieces.

[click on images to enlarge .... photos by: RidgewoodEntrust]

This bracelet, c1910, has at center a 19c tourmaline carving of two fat birds sitting on a branch feasting on fruit. The filigree setting has been custom made to fit this stone and the delicate silver work reminds me of the finest Italian lace.

I once showed a bracelet like this to a friend, an appraiser, who also makes custom jewelry...he turned it over, looked at the construction and said "300 hours to make this...how do you put a value on that?"

Tourmaline, unlike jade, is not native to China. My gemstone reference says that the Dutch brought the first tourmaline to Europe from Ceylon in 1703. Other trade routes would have brought this stone from Ceylon to China.

We know that tourmaline was highly valued by the Chinese. It is one of the six stones that only the Imperial family was permitted to use in their court necklaces.

I like to think that chubby birds enjoying their feast is a subtle symbol of marital bliss.

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Chinese Chicken Bone Jade Necklace

2007-10-10T07:48:00.001-05:00

Several sources state that Nephrite Jade which has been through a fire or buried for a long time will develop an unusual surface calcification, losing color and becoming a chalky white...like these beads.

[click on images to enlarge .... photos by: RidgewoodEntrust]

According to the Collector's Book of Jade, by Arthur and Grace Chu, this jade, which is called 'chicken bone', is highly valued by the Chinese because it is usually very old.

But, the Chu's go on to say "many Nephrite objects of low quality jade were deliberately burned to create fake archaic pieces."

I have been unable to find any sources that suggest a way to determine if Chicken Bone Jade has been faked...I would love to hear from anyone with more information.

This necklace is composed of 62 beads, hand carved, with the Fu symbol and pierced 18 times.

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