Jewellery from the far east in Historic Jewellery Reproduction’s online shop include replicas of traditional historic pieces from Japan and China. This culturally rich region of the world holds much historical interest. From Samurai armour that featured metalworking’s of gold and silver to adorn them, to the Chinese coin pendants traditionally worn as Feng Shui money cures, for luck with ecological prosperity and fortune.
The Ancient Chinese cultures created the richly symbolic Chinese dragon, depicting power and strength over the elements and fortunes of the people in the far east. This dragon is still a huge part of Chinese culture, and can be seen in a lot of Ancient far east jewellery displays in museums and galleries all around the world. This dragon of the east is often depicted chasing a ball that symbolises wisdom and the pursuit of knowledge. As china is one of the world’s oldest civilisations in the far east, it has a lot to offer the archaeologist and the zealous historian.
A lot of the historic far east Chinese jewellery has been preserved over time due to the tradition of burying a person with their wealth. Many memorial tombs and grave sites have been excavated and are displayed for all to see in museums all around the world.
In the 6th century (1000 B.C.E) far east jewellery from Japan used a comma shape tied as a necklace made from green jade, and later on, glass. Men were later permitted to wear an Inro, which was strung like a necklace, but actually a small portable case worn around the girdle, to originally hold seals, and later other objects such as tobacco, medicine and confectionary.
Japanese culture includes jewellery from the 19th century when the first Akoya pearl necklace was created. This was when Mikimoto, a humble son of a Japanese noodle maker, introduced an irritant to an oyster to have it produce a pearl. These are highly valued pieces of jewellery today. Japanese metal worked jewellery in the 19th century included shakudo metal, which is an alloy with a low gold content, making it a more durable material and has a purplish black surface once treated, and other coloured metals such as akagane and shibuichi. Gold and silver were also used during this time.
Historic Jewellery Reproduction aims to provide artistic accurate replicas of the jewellery worn in the far east in the past, as they are often commissioned to produce jewellery for archaeological and historical study, that can be displayed in museums, and can be used in accurate film depictions of the ancient far east.
Other Japanese jewellery includes hair pins, and other ornaments that hung from clothing and the hair, rather than the jewellery of the western world, such as necklaces, earing and bracelets. From the 17th to the 19th century sumptuary laws dictated the wearing of jewellery or other ornamental items to hierarchical order. For example, the double-edged sword along with a Kadzuka (gold decorative ring that accompanied the sword) was to be worn only by the military samurai.
For more information on jewellery reproduction from the far east, contact HJR today.