Kingfisher Feather Beads, Silver Ovals with Turquoise Feathers, 25x15mm, Damaged on One Side, Sold Individually
SKU: ASO-251
Sale price
$30.00
Shipping calculated at checkout
Only 8 in stock
Description
- These beads are priced and sold individually
- Very rare antique silver oval beads are marked with silver bands like pointy melons. Between these bands kingfisher feathers cover the bead from end to end. These beads are the same as those found at ASO-249, except that due to having missing parts of feathers or extensive discoloration on one side only they are deeply discounted. Photos show the bad sides. To see what the good sides look like see ASO-249
- While other Chinese art forms gained fame worldwide, kingfisher jewelry was little known outside of China. The technique, known as Tuia-tsui or Diancui, has been used on hairpins, headdresses, fans, and beads for over 1000 years.
- It involved collecting and carefully cutting tiny kingfisher feathers to the desired shapes and adhering them to the metal.
- Kingfisher feather beads are even more rare than hair pins because they were made for a shorter period of time in the final days of this art form, which ended during the Chinese Communist Revolution. The last workshop specializing in Tian-tsui closed in 1933.