Cloisonne beads go bankrupt
Re: Cheer up, Chris... -- Frederick II Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: beadiste Mail author
08/30/2014, 09:21:06

There seems to be an arc of beads produced with individual care and varied designs in the 1950s-early 70s. My impression is that these were made for Chinese women who could afford nice jewelry with good stone beads, possibly those resident in Hong Kong or Taiwan or out of sight of the masses in their faded cotton suits and peasant dresses.

Then, once the U.S. was open to China imports again in 1971, mass production of a limited number of floral designs got into gear.

Just did a blog post showing some typical examples, still in their boxes!
http://www.beadiste.com/2014/08/puzzling-evidence-what-do-nice-export.html

By the 1990s these designs were increasingly carelessly made and unattractive - I remember barrels full in Tucson, and they weren't pretty.

The Beijing cloisonne factory itself evidently went bankrupt around 2001 or 2002. A Canadian couple seems to have bought up the last of the bead stock when they visited the Tucson shows shortly afterward.

So the Chinese have ramped up cloisonne production again - mainly huge sculptural pieces, imitations of Qing works, and baroquely extravagant vases, clocks, table sculptures...but no beads. Some cute snuff bottles, but no beads.

The beads being cranked out by the container load all seem to be twisted wire work or stamped shapes, with epoxy enamels(?), bright and shiny, cute inexpensive trinkets for fashion jewelry. [Later: Actual cloisonne beads still seem to be made, but they're very abbreviated in design - some with large holes for Pandora-style bracelets]

Follow the money, I guess.


Related link: http://www.beadiste.com/2014/08/puzzling-evidence-what-do-nice-export.html

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