Original Message:   Chinese, 1930's ?

They are Chinese, carved with a "shou" longevity symbol, in the style of beads made for a Mandarin Court necklace during the Ching dynasty. There were also Czech molded ones with the Chinese shou symbol made during the 30's. But yours appear to be carefully hand carved, which only the Chinese would have done. The holes in the beads are too small for the type of cord used in Mandarin Court Necklaces; when this type of bead has a small hole they are often found in a 1930's choker with a large oval pendant/clasp worn in front. However, some Chinese antique dealers say that Mandarin Court Necklaces were sometimes created as "costume jewelry," for the theatre -and that these may account for the existence of exceptions to the strict rules in Chinese court dress. Copyright 2024 All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users

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