| Possessing Chinese antiques is a great way to | | | | may have several links and all these are carved out of |
| enlarge your antique collection. Some unique Chinese | | | | a single piece of rock. Jade is a very difficult material |
| antiques that can be your prized possessions are:- | | | | to work with. Thus these jade carvings are truly |
| Pendants | | | | remarkable and deserving pieces of Chinese antiques. |
| Pendants are among one of the Chinese antiques that | | | | Chinese Cinnabar Lacquerware |
| are extraordinary. You will find some beautifully | | | | When an item is coated with lacquer they are referred |
| undercut pendants with the same kind of intricate | | | | to as lacquerware. The lacquer is a product of a tree |
| carvings that you will find in snuff bottles. Another good | | | | that gives a long lasting finish and does not get spoilt |
| thing is that the pendants may not cost you much. If | | | | by water, acid or scratches. The art of lacquerware is |
| you are lucky you may discover some very rare | | | | an age old tradition in Chinese history. The Chinese |
| beauties as well. | | | | added a red color pigment called Cinnabar to the |
| Snuff Bottles | | | | lacquer for coating the items That is how the name |
| The Chinese snuff boxes are unique masterpieces | | | | Chinese Cinnabar lacquerware came into being. You |
| with beautifully carved designs. The snuff bottles which | | | | may not often find these unique Chinese antiques |
| were used to store snuff now are considered as | | | | displayed regularly because they react negatively to |
| invaluable pieces of art and are in high demand. The | | | | light which can cause the browning of the item. |
| snuff bottles are made up of different materials like | | | | It is said that 500 coats of lacquer are applied |
| jade, ivory, wood, glass, metal, ceramic, porcelain and | | | | depending on the size of the item and the artwork that |
| tortoiseshells. The unique feature of these snuff bottles | | | | would be done. Only after the first coat gets dried the |
| is the exquisite paintings and calligraphy is done in the | | | | second coat is applied and it may take several years |
| inside of the bottles | | | | to get the required coats. After the object is duly |
| Jade | | | | coated the artisan carves intricate designs on them |
| Any Chinese item made of jade like snuff bottles and | | | | and since lacquer is hard it requires sharp tools and |
| pendants are costlier than large jade carvings because | | | | high proficiency. Sometimes there are different colored |
| of the amount of effort that is put in to create these | | | | layers of lacquer and the artisan has to display his |
| articles. You will be astonished by the innumerable jade | | | | carving skills to make the contrasting colors visible. The |
| carvings that you can find such as sculptures of | | | | ancient cinnabar lacquerware consisted of any type |
| animals, bowls, figures, screens, boxes and boulder | | | | and size of object but in modern days the items that |
| carvings. Some items will leave you wonderstruck | | | | you will find are small boxes, plates, trays, beaded |
| such as vases that have lids attached by chains which | | | | jewelry and other smaller objects. |