Chinese pendants
When you head to a jewelry store to buy a chain, you are likely to spend a lot of time in selecting a pendant for it. You have plenty of options to choose from, in terms of not only shapes and sizes, but also material silver, gold, jade, etc. You might want to have a look at Chinese pendants, too, which have a very distinct identity of their own. In fact, antique jewelry collectors are in awe with these beautiful pieces lovingly crafted by artisans.
Chinese Shard Pendants:
A shard is basically a splinter, so you will probably wonder how it can be a pendant! Well, what we are referring to here are pottery shards. That right. An extremely popular form of jewelry, shards from Chinese pottery now adorn many a lovely neck. The most common types in this form are pendants having designs of flowers and birds. Others may just have Chinese symbols. If you come across a Chinese shard pendant with the image of a musician or any other figure, consider yourself to be very lucky many antique collectors consider these as a great find! Rectangular, oval, round, or even heart-shaped, your jeweler is likely to be having the shard pendant enclosed on all sides with a very fine edging of silver. When buying a Chinese shard pendant, be warned: there are people who sell fakes, claiming that the shard is from the Ming Dynasty, when in actuality they are from a much later era.
Chinese Jade Pendants:
Jade symbolically stands for beauty, grace and purity. Physically, it is very tough. In fact, it scores over steel in terms of hardness and toughness. If your Chinese pendant is made from nephrite, it is referred to as Old Jade. New Jade is the term given to jadeite, which has a luster similar to the one of a pearl. If your Chinese jade pendant has purely elements of Chromium (Cr++), and no other elements, it can be considered to be imperial green jade. Its color should be a deep dark green one, and will be one of the most valuable pieces of jade jewelry that you possess. If the color is a little less dark, it will be slightly less valuable than Imperial green jade. The occurrence of Iron (Fe) is what gives it a pale green color. Other than various shades of green, a Chinese jade pendant comes in many hues white, yellow, dark red, lavender, a combination of red and orange, even brown and black. A lavender jade Chinese pendant could cost less than $50.
Chinese Zodiac Pendants:
As per the Chinese Zodiac signs (represented by an animal or bird), you can select from one of 12 zodiac pendants. Some stores and online sites sell these pendants made from resin, with the character of the zodiac sign painted on it. For example, those born in the years 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, and 2005 are born in the year of the Rooster. Accordingly, your personality traits include efficiency and trustworthiness, and you are an organized, sharp minded and hardworking person. You are likely to get this type of Chinese pendant for less than $10.
Other Symbolic Chinese Pendants:
• You will have come across some Chinese pendants that have threads with knots attached to the piece. These knots have to be tied to the pendant. They are supposed to be symbols of happiness and prosperity. There are also knots that represent love, others that represent good luck, and so on. These types of Chinese pendants are often sold as wishing pendants. The ones with Swarovski crystals could cost more than $150.
• You may also select a Chinese coin pendant that represents health and wealth. The Chinese symbols for these could be engraved on a sterling silver coin, with maybe a gemstone, such as a garnet, at the center. It would probably cost over $100.
• Have a look at Chinese stone pendants, too, that are made from semi-precious stones. Each stone will have a traditional meaning. For example, a rose quartz pendant symbolizes love, while a goldstone pendant with a copper hue symbolizes friendship. These cost about $10 to $12.
There are lots more types of Chinese pendants to choose from depending on your tastes. You could even buy a pendant with your family name artistically created in the form of Chinese calligraphy. Pass this on as an heirloom to future generations!
Some Important Tips when buying Chinese Pendants
• It is very important to realize that many of the Chinese pendants are small in size. Hence, for safety reasons, you should not buy them for kids. The pendants have lovely colors, and can be mistaken by a kid to be a sweet to be eaten, with disastrous consequences. In fact, your jeweler will likely inform you if children below a specific age should not wear a particular Chinese pendant.
• Many Chinese pendants dangle from a black or red nylon cord. If you prefer, you could make a request for a silver chain instead of the cord. Of course, this would mean a few more dollars!
• Make sure the pendant snugly dangles from the cord / chain, and that the cord / chain does is not too long. A very lengthy one could hamper working with your hands! Most Chinese pendants do come with cords that you can adjust in length, so make good use of this aspect.• If you decide to buy a chain for the pendant, make sure the clasp of the chain is not loose. It could snap open unexpectedly, with your pendant falling to the ground and getting damaged.
• Like all pieces of jewelry, good maintenance and care are necessary for your Chinese pendant to have a long life span. Keep the pendant in its own pouch / case when not wearing it, and don•t just dump it with other jewelry pieces in one box.
• With regard to cleaning, it is advisable to take the Chinese pendant to a professional jeweler for proper cleaning. He will also polish it the correct way and restore its luster.
Even a jade pendant, though resistant to chipping, can be susceptible to faint scratch marks. Do not try to remove the scratches with a chemical-based cleaner.
• Whether you choose to buy a Chinese pendant from a jewelry store or from the World Wide Web, make sure you check that it is a creditable source.
• Find out details of refunding, as you may want to confirm if you are buying an authentic piece. If you are unsure about the quality / genuineness of the piece, check it out with an expert.
Wear a Chinese pendant and get plenty of compliments!
Other Articles
