Featured Help!!! Identify Chinese carved domino fur clip.

Hello,
I have been puzzling over this piece forever. It has square image of Buddha carved from a domino. The domino appears to be ivory (has the right lines/rings). Surrounding it are little red seed beads. The edges are classic Chinese silver filagree and the back has a fur clip fastening. It is clearly marked SILVER and CHINA on the back and in between them there is a makers mark that I think is a horse.
So, here is my (many) questions. Has anyone seen something like this? Specifically a Chinese piece carved from a domino. When was this made? Any clues on the makers mark?
I can't find anything like it so that either means its rare, a fake or reconstruction or I just haven't looked in the right places. Any help would be appreciated!!
I did upload some photos but if another would help let me know.

Thanks,
Paul

 

Souvenier money clip.....made from less than silver silver...?????

 

What a fabulous piece! I would think the beads are coral and to me looks well made. Someone will be along to give you answers.
Welcome to the forum Paul, your photos are excellent

 

I think its to small for that. 1 1/4" 3/4". The clip also has "teeth"on the end.

 

Thank you cxgirl. Its good to be here.
It is a cool piece. I have been sort of fascinated by it.

 

uhhh...tooth....but you're probably right !!

 

Komokwa, I did do a search on money clips though and I found this.

 

Sharp pointy prongs on the end of the clip. Three in total. two on top of clip one on the face.

 

well, I can only see the one.....& maybe what you found is no money clip either...as someone like me was just suspecting....
It's a clip...of some sort....

& I've seen on this board where members have stated that chinese works just marked silver...are not always silver..!

 

I'm not sure about what it is, but I can say it is not a fur clip. This is what a fur clip looks like on the back, note the 2 prongs:

 

I have always seen these referred to as dress clips, Westernized for export, probably a shop made piece and made to sell in larger dept. stores. They probably used whatever they had handy to carve, in this case a domino. My guess is 1st quarter of 20th Century.

 

I agree with dress clip, ditto agree that small seed beads may be coral.

Very cool piece, I've seen many dress clips, but nothing quite like this. Nice.

Is the carving in two pieces? A domino is roughly 1/4 inch thick -- a bit hard to tell the thickness of this clip just looking at the photo, but the carving all the way to the back seems to be thicker than 1/4 inch.

I'd keep looking into the maker's mark, a horse or whatever it is. Could you post a more direct close-up photo of the mark? From the side view it almost looks like Chinese characters, and if that is the case there might be a name or maker that could be associated with this.

Edit: Now seeing the close-up in the thumbnails. Wondering if these are Chinese characters. Mark hard to make out.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

Try Google "Chinese carved domino ring"in images.Same frame with beads,but carved rabbit and it's a ring.Most likely there were thousands of different items made at sometime.

 

Not sure about thousands, could only find the single Pinterest rabbit ring so far, but it is definitely in this style with the coral seed bead frame.

Note that the description of the ring mentions "signed with Chinese characters" so now thinking that what we are seeing on Paul's clip are Chinese characters.

Good spotting that, Holly. Definitely this clip's match.

 

I agree with all of you Chinese silver dress clip.
Here are others some with the same type of closure.
https://www.google.com/search?q=chi...2LbSAhVI5GMKHZkbDp4Q_AUICSgC&biw=1291&bih=890

 

Did anyone mention the time period?
I would put it in the 1930s.

 

There were a few made later but yes, that's probably a 1930s piece. They were made for those 30s sweetheart necklines. You'd clip one on each side. It's definitely a dress clip.

 

Yes, a Chinese Export dress clip, 1930s. The beads do look like coral and it does indeed look like the Hotei/Buddha inlay is layered. Perhaps they just used the domino piece to raise the Hotei, make it stand out more.
Chinese Export jewellery is very collectible. The silver grade on these older ones is usually 800.

 

If it's old, then certainly silver means silver. It's the new stuff you have to be careful with. Nice thing.