Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-09


i IL fayorite kind Of work among the
Chinese and has been for centuries. There
Is but little doubt that Marco Polo brought
and in this manner aided in the after de-
yelopment Of the guilds of Italy and
France The designs at times are simply
marvellous. One from Fuchau consisted of
q bouquet, over which was loosely wrapped
a silken veil. It was SO perfectly made that
the veil looked a. II it might blow away at
any moment. Through its filmy folds the
flowers and leaves were all visible. Another
artistic gem was a little bouquet in which
ferns iea lies OF the valley and similar botsn;
in metals. A custom Of the Chinese trade
deserves mention. In selling his goods the
weight Of the metal, its fineness and its
value as bullion: and then as a separate
item the cost Of the workmanship. Thus
bracelets my bill ran as follows: Silver a IL
ounces Is per cent fne),M2 Mexican);
wo NO s21s; total, ss;s5 (dexican):
can be depended upon as the intrinsic value
Of the material in Its manufacture
Oddities In Jewelry.
The fiowery kingdom is full Of oddities
and novelties to the newcomer from Christ
endom. The first thing that attracts his
| attention on landing at Shanghai or Hong
kong Is the Queerness and the quantity of
5ewelry worn by Chinese women in their
hair It varies from place to place. so that
a careful student after little experience
can tell where a woman comes from BY
| simply looking at the ornaments on her
pins, which suggest knitting needles or
fashionable hat pins The finest kinds are
made Of gold; below these are silver ones,
and below these. for the poorer classes,
are brass ones tipped with either Of the
precious metals. In addition to metal,
ivory. ebony horn. tortoise shell, bamboo
ana celluloid are largely employed for the
same purpose. The head of the pin dis
closes the wealth Of the wearer The wife
" Wno nSo S Saa; the Canton banker: had pin
The wife Of the viceroy Of Fokien has one
which terminates in large ruby. Pins of
In this class come q large number Of pins
whose heads are emeralds, pearls, Jade
pieces. Eold balls or figures and silver de-
when the shank is Of brass and the head
an imitation of jade or for a few dollars
when the metal is silver and the end a
cheap semiprecfous stone. In another class
the pin terminates in a cluster of some
sort: There seems no limit to the designer
IN IN this field The cluster may be seven
wires; 1t may be a group of blue cat's-eyes
representing a bunch of grapes, a row OF
Of exauisitely eoiored tiny porcelain flowers ps
ana fruits. a lot of turQuoises carved into
siolets. z boutonnniere of buttercups in
shank and head are separate but connected
by coil OF wire. This keeps the head in
perpetual motion and tends to SHOW it
seen
side Of Fuchau and Annoy. In addition to
the other styles referred to, the heads are
made also Of flake Jade. cut to represent
butterflies, gold and silver moths and
dragon flies little birds in metal, vines.
ana whatever in nature is easily moved by
Tor these pins European women are for
finger rings. They will economic a year to
Duy new one and take particular de-
h8ht In owning many.
Eager for Hairpins,
The proprietess Of Honskony sampan
| Tor passenger boat is the envied possessor
OF over 100 of these precious Instruments
that are said to represent nearly $500 in
value. Yet she lives in ner boat and sell
dom makes II day. The hairpin in the
east, unlike that in the west Is generally
OF silver or gold. 1t is a thin bar slightly
to get a grip, and is usually straight ana
SIX to eight inches in length Its owner
bends 1t according to the style in which she
dresses her hair Sometimes IL is bent into
| Z, displaying four inches of metal At
other times it is bent into V and shows
a amer, mere yellow point among the black
tresses. The gold and silversmiths make
special alloys for hairpins. Ordinary ones
would break after a few score of bendings
lifetime. On account Of their form and cor
| rugations they seldom fall from the lead
and are scarcely ever lost. They are Worn
| night as well as day. and are only relnoved
| in the morning when their owner performs
| the slow and complicated operations of
| washing and drying her locks. Every one
| above the extremely poor in China is the
| owner Of a tongue scraper. They may or
may not have brushes, cut they are sure
| to possess a tongue scraper. 1t is a ribbon
| OF silver or gold. with a ring at one end,
| by which II is suspended when desired
| The cheapest are of plain metal; more ex-
pensive ones are engraved. while a few are
teweled at either end. Like hairpins, they
| are sold by their weight, plus small
| charge for the workmanship.
Thumb Rings are Common.
| Thumb rings are very common IN the east
They are often made of precious metal,
ivory, Jet and semiprecious stones but gem
orally they are of fine jade. The cavity is
not cylindrical. but swells out at the base
| and middle. This enables the owner to wear
| II lower down. and also prevents IL slipping.
| Celestial dudes often use rings so high Gs to
pass the middle joint Of the finger and SO
produce a partial stinening thereof The
jade Is usually polished. but may be en-
| graved or carved in intaglio or relief The
the Level nar the JADE but This
the refined classes. The latter use Jade ex-
clusively and as precious a variety as their
and, singularly enough. village DULLES Wear
| limitations which are made Of glass or por-
celain colored with lead or iron oxide One
variety, which is made by enameling iron,
Is remarkably strong and durable AMI cor
| responds to the 'knuckle-dusters'' of Lon
don thieves. The thumb ring seems to have
come into vogue In the time of the Three
Kingdoms. during the regime of the famous
| general KwangTi. He was a sort of Robin
| Hood with the long bow, and, to increase
| his accuracy, substituted heavy bamboo
| thumb ring for the glove usually worn by
archers. His example was followed by his
boWmen until the practice became general.
On MS rise to power his admirers presented
| him with a jade ring of high value, which
ne substituted for the bamboo one.
How the Custom Was Introduced
| His brother. the regning monarch,
| adopted the sustom out of compliment to
the great warrior. and thus introduced the
| fashion into civilized society. The custom
fell somewhat into allegiance in the follow
| Ing centuries, but was revived with greater
| force by the Manchus in their conquest of
the empire. They were particularly skill
| ful with the bow and always used the
| thumb ring in shooting. After they be-
| came supreme they continued the custom
as a reminder of their Victories Just as
they continue the use Of the cavalry boot
| and the horseshoe sleeve. Luck pieces are
| OF constant occurrence. They are the Chi
| nese character for the word "fook," mean
| ing good luck or happiness, and are made
| from jade or the precious metals. They
| are worn as watch chains, pendants on
necklaces. bracelets and rings, ornaments
as decoration pure and simple. Jade
| buckles are another jewel of great value.
| They are nearly always handsome carv-
| ings and are fastened to the belt, which
| they are supposed to clasp. They are a
| necessary part Of gentleman's outfit
| Wealthy mandarns have as many as the
| colors and textures of their suits. They
| costly. The present Taotai of Annoy has
one valued at 81 0OO It represents two in fer