Featured Some eye candies- teeny Qing dynasty jewels…

So I bought another piece after my last purchase of a small Qing hat pin, and it just arrived:

and I believe that a proper collection should contain at least three pieces so I just keep browsing Chinese eBay all the time and found these cuties that I’d like to share and some people here should be interested…

And you might know why… I will probably take the one with most compliments as my next piece , to start my collection formally

 

Ohhhh! i like the kingfish butterfly, and the square one, and the one that is topped with the flowers...just keep them all!

 

Very nice collection. Love the blue brooch.

 

Nice! We don't see those here. At all. The Chinese never exported the good stuff.

 

I love those kingfisher pieces! Lucky lucky YOU!

I found one locally here in the Midwest a few years ago at a garage sale for 10 cents! It was pinned into a shadowbox. The lady had no idea what it was. Because it was sealed in the shadowbox, I really couldn't see it up close. I had "thought" because of the intense blue color and raised work, that it was enamel; but I'd never seen enamel SO intense. The feathers which were still there were solid and intact...but several elements were missing. It took me several years to identify what it even was! I learned about google lens later!

I keep looking...but haven't found any more!
Cheerio
Leslie

 

Well I have foreseen that...

 

We have lots of them here (of course!), but it's not easy to find ones in good condition. You never know how pretty these pieces are until you see one in person

 

Gorgeous finds, shammie, especially the kingfisher pieces.

Absolutely, they are like magic. I have one or two, but not in great shape. Even with a lot of feather loss they are absolute beauties, so delicate. And the pieces that have lost all feathers are beautiful nonetheless.

 

Yes They have such a great colour shift from green to blue to purple when viewed from different angle...and you won't notice they're made from single hair if in intact condition... almost like butterfly wings but with better variation in shades

 

And just imagine the work that went into it, the finesse and the patience.

 

I m beginning to wonder how they were made?
Because I saw some Kingfish birds happily flying around a few months ago....those birds are really amazing!
I hope they didn't hurt/kill these birds to get the feathers?
Same with the butterfly wing jewelry...
Does anyone have an idea if they actually killed those butterflies?

 

I doubt the peccary who's lovely Italian gloves I'm wearing..... is still wandering above ground !

We humans kill everything...... one way or another....

 

Komokwa

these things don't make me happy
Just read about the Kingfisher feathers...birds probably did get killed

Butterfly wings let the butterfly live...
I m not sure what I think about these jewels now
Thats my personal opinion, nothing to do with anyone else.

 

I completely understand your concern on these jewels. The fact is that kingfishers are rare birds that cannot be bred or even kept as pet, so they have to be killed in order to get their feathers, just as tortoiseshell and ivory. Luckily they are now banned and modern jewelers only use parrot and peacock feathers which naturally fall off in great quantity and can be collected easily.

we should stay away from these animal products which are still made and traded in some areas, but there’s nothing wrong with collecting antiques made from them, it’s just about adoring and recycling artworks. What was done is done and after all, they should not be forgotten and wasted. But if looking at them make you sad, just let them go, there are so many other good stuffs waiting to be found and treasured, not stained by blood

 

The idea of killing an animal for its body parts....yuck. But wasting things is wrong too, and destroying artwork once it already exists seems foolish.

 

Hi @Dessert58 and @komokwa
Unfortunately, yes, a bit that I found out through a little research when I finally identified what I had! I'm SURE that there is more research that could be done...but in a nutshell.

"For 2,000 years, the Chinese have been using the iridescent blue feathers of kingfisher birds as an inlay for fine art objects and adornment, from hairpins, headdresses and fans to even large panels and screens. The effect is like cloisonné, but on enamel was able to rival the electric blue color. The most expensive, commissioned pieces used as species from Cambodia, so great the demand, that the trade may have been a major contributor to the wealth of the Khmer Empire. Sadly, the demand resulted in the mass slaughter of many species of kingfishers. Kingfisher art came to an end during the Chinese revolution in the 1940's."

I had considered getting some local blue feathers (from my local sporting goods store) to fill in the little area of my piece that is missing... HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh how wrong I was!

The first feathers I found, I brought home "thinking" that they might match! They looked like MASSIVE eagle feathers compared to a single fluke(?) (strand?) of the kingfisher! And the color wasn't close.

I then went to Ebay/Amazon and bought some much finer feathers...expensive - and infact are even called Kingfisher Blue (from a farm) and were about $1 per 4" feather. and although much closer... not even close!

And of course, even if they "DID" match, how would I glue them in... no idea what glue they used.

So... apparently, that is why I've yet to see any repaired objects out there. I'll probably never run across a reasonable price Kingfisher piece...so this one is treasured! Amazing pieces!

Cheerio,
Leslie

 

maybe our wonderful @kyratango has some ideas...???

 

Modern Tian Tsui pieces are still quite expensive for the work and skill required, even though using more economic materials. And repairing is challenging. You can still find many old pieces around on ebay, just keep an eye on the new listings and one day you’ll find a deal.

 

I couldn’t find it here, but I know kyra has a post on repairing Tian Tsui hair pin on collector weekly!

 

Exact!
Here is the link to it
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/164269-chinese-antique-kingfisher-feathers-work