Allow your imagination to go wild and let your creative juices do the talking – and start to create a Boho or a Vintage inspired piece of jewellery with these two 18x25mm beautiful cinnabar barrel beads, and a stunning wear-anytime 52mm wide and 15mm thick flattish cinnabar pendant.
The blood red combination could be perfect for the creation of a necklace; the distinctive colour works well with silver, turquoise and black colours.
Although they are referred to as beads made from the cinnabar crystal - they’re actually not cinnabar at all – they’re lacquered resin. (See below for the Cinnabar story).
Combine them with your growing hoard of beads you have in your jewellery-making box!!
They would work well on a key ring too.
Regardless, these cinnabar beads – altogether weigh in at 30 grams will provide the astute beader and artisan a challenge and the perfect opportunity to create on an unparalleled scale.
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The Cinnabar Story – and a little bit more ... Genuine cinnabar is actually a blood-red mineral stone which has been prized for its rich Siam red pigment ever since the 10th millennium BC.
It was later capitalised by the Romans who, who like the Chinese, used the powdered cinnabar pigment in pottery glazes and art, while the women of the day preferred to use the rich red substance as a cosmetic – becoming a form of lipstick.
However, over time, the people of the day began to realise this beautiful stone also contained high levels of toxicity due to its high mercury content.
It became dangerous for those who mined, processed and used the pigment; inhaling the poisonous mercury fumes affected the neurological functions of the body which, in many cases, led to a premature death, or at the very least, a shortened life expectancy.
With those days long gone, it was the Chinese who perfected the manufacturing of cinnabar beads and pendants, which have become so popular today.
Initially, they would apply a special coloured lacquer – the sap from a tree - layer upon layer to specially carved pieces of wood.
Today – the process is slightly different. Hot coloured resin (instead of the tree sap) is poured into carefully carved design molds and allowed to set; the process is repeated again and again, until the desired thickness and texture is reached. Although the process and material used has changed in modern times, the cinnabar namesake has remained intact.