If you fancy wearing a piece of antiquity, have a desire to create a piece of jewellery seeped in history, or if you are an astute collector of old beads – we believe we have something which will be of interest to you.
We have a small and unusual collection of ancient beads from unknown regions in China, alleged to be more than 1000 years old.
Some have even suggested they date back to the Warring States era (about 400BC), a significant time in ancient China who, at the time was going through a tumultuous period that included warfare, military and major political reforms.
The rare pieces of jade have been engraved with simple designs that resemble small creatures – frogs and turtles perhaps.
And apparently, they had a considerable spiritual significance.
Legend suggests, these hand carved pieces were placed between the teeth of fallen soldiers to allow positive spirits to continue flowing through their mouths – in order to stimulate and influence those who remained.
We are uncertain where these beads were unearthed, but believe they come from the mountainous region of Chinese Himalayas.
All contain a 1-1.5mm threading hole and would also make the perfect ingredients for artisans with a bent for creating tribal jewellery using the pieces in this one-of-a-kind collection.
The collection weighs in at 35 grams.
Please note – while some images have been enlarged to show detail, colours may vary slightly due to lighting variants.