We have several similar Chinese items, which would pair nicely with this piece, for sale this week. Listing Description by: Dylan L. Age Circa: Art Deco C. Markings: Unmarked , Tested, and Guaranteed. Country of Origin: China. Gram Weight: 57.9 Grams. Material: Red Faux Cinnabar Lacquer. Main Stone Carat Weight/Color. Accent Stone(s). Accent Stone Carat Weight/Color. Item Measurements: The bracelet has a wearable length of about 8″ long including the wrist gap, with a width of up to 1.28″ wide. The wrist gap measures 2.54 across. Bracelet Type: Bangle Bracelet. Closure/Clasp Type: This bracelet is meant to be worn over the wrist through the gap. Link Type: Faux Cinnabar Lacquer. This lovely item was made in China during the Art Deco era. This lovely item was carved by hand into an ornate dragon and flower motif. This gorgeous bracelet is highly detailed, and a stunning example of the talent of the Chinese stonecutters who produced this item. This bracelet is meant to look like red cinnabar, and is composed of lacquer. This item is very rare in it’s width, as items such as these are commonly much thinner than this item. Damage: Age appropriate wear. This listing is for the item only. The Art Deco era is famous for being the “Gatsby” or “Roaring Twenties” era. A lot of gorgeous and timeless designs in jewelry came out of this period. Jewelry from this period was most often crafted between 1920 and 1940. Art Deco jewelry sometimes featured white gold or platinum, geometric designs, European cut diamonds, filigree, and calibre cut stones that are specifically cut to fit the design of the piece. During the Art Deco period jewelers often made jewelry upon custom order, this would often take weeks to months to completely craft by hand. Chinese export jewelry became popular during the late Victorian period and persisted until the 1960s. During this period, Chinese craftsmen were considered by far the best in the world. The rich and wealthy would custom-order a piece through their local jeweler, who would send the design off to China to be made and sent back to Europe. This lengthy process was very expensive, making Chinese export pieces highly desirable, then and now. Chinese stone cutters were considered some of the finest artisans in the world. They would spend years learning to hand-carve many different types of stones, and excelled in creating finely detailed pieces other artisans couldnt even hope to compare to. Their skill was so refined that they could even carve delicate stones like coral and jade. Chinese stone cutters were so talented that Victorian era European socialites would commission pieces from them, preferring the hefty price tag that came with such high quality work to the ready availability of Western stonework. Cinnabar is a bright red mineral consisting of mercury sulfide. It can be found in China at Tongren, Guizhou Province, Spain and in the United States in California and Nevada. Unfortunately, mercury poisoning was common among those who began working and crafting with early cinnabar. Historical accounts of the mercury poison effects were recorded in Rome, Spain and China, and so the Romans would send prisoners, slaves and other undesirables to mine it to avoid formal public executions. The Chinese valued the pigmentation of the mineral, but wished to avoid the toxic effects, and so developed a technique that mimicked the carving of real cinnabar called “tsuishu” or what we know today as Chinese Lacquer. The core of many pieces of jewelry was made of wood, then between 100 and 300 layers of lacquer were applied. Each layer was allowed to dry for one day and then lightly polished. A motif was then carved into the piece. This was safer than carving genuine cinnabar, but, unfortunately, to get the prized red color, the lacquer often had powdered mercury sulfide added to it. The item “Antique Vintage Deco Chinese Carved Dragon Cinnabar Lacquer HUGE Bangle Bracelet” is in sale since Sunday, June 16, 2019. This item is in the category “Jewelry & Watches\Vintage & Antique Jewelry\Fine\Art Nouveau/Art Deco 1895-1935\Bracelets”. The seller is “abeautifultimeco” and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Modified Item: No
- Country/Region of Manufacture: China
- Style: Bangle
- Material: Lacquer
- Ethnic Origin: Chinese
- Clasp Type: Bangle Bracelet
