04-02-2015, 12:08 AM
You never know where and when you'll find something interesting. :woot:
Once a week, I google the phrase, "Jade Sword Fittings" just to see what pops up. Usually, it's a high-end auction site listing for a rare Han Dynasty example or a nineteenth century forgery. Two weeks ago, I discovered this:
[attachment=12134]DSC_00083.JPG[/attachment]
It's a little smaller than the Late Sarmatian Type I hand-guards retrieved from Ukraine and The Crimea, but I thought it looked authentic. It was listed as a "Jade Carved Sword Fitting" by a dealer in Jiangsu, China. I checked the dealer's other offerings at his online "store." And I found this:
[attachment=12135]DSC_0010.JPG[/attachment]
The dealer called it a "Jade Amulet Netsuke." He or she didn't know what it was; but from the photo in the listing I could see three strange holes on the bottom... actually used to pin the jade carving to the bottom of the scabbard. When the two items arrived in the mail, I discovered they were even older than I expected. They're not Han Dynasty fittings, but carved before iron was introduced, back when bronze swords were worn within the court. These swords were small, only about 55 to 56 cm long. Here are the two jade fittings placed next to a reproduction of the sword owned by Gaujian (reigned 496-465 BC):
[attachment=12136]DSC_0008.JPG[/attachment]
When I received the fittings, I took them to a well-known jeweler. They are made of nephrite, real ancient jade, not the new green stuff known as "jadeite." Both pieces are stained from being in the soil for well over two millenniae... if they are authentic. I think they're the real thing because a faker wouldn't know about the three holes drilled for pinning. Also, they aren't ornate. They're styled in the correct period. So, did I locate two authentic sword fittings... OR? Comments are welcome. :dizzy:
Once a week, I google the phrase, "Jade Sword Fittings" just to see what pops up. Usually, it's a high-end auction site listing for a rare Han Dynasty example or a nineteenth century forgery. Two weeks ago, I discovered this:
[attachment=12134]DSC_00083.JPG[/attachment]
It's a little smaller than the Late Sarmatian Type I hand-guards retrieved from Ukraine and The Crimea, but I thought it looked authentic. It was listed as a "Jade Carved Sword Fitting" by a dealer in Jiangsu, China. I checked the dealer's other offerings at his online "store." And I found this:
[attachment=12135]DSC_0010.JPG[/attachment]
The dealer called it a "Jade Amulet Netsuke." He or she didn't know what it was; but from the photo in the listing I could see three strange holes on the bottom... actually used to pin the jade carving to the bottom of the scabbard. When the two items arrived in the mail, I discovered they were even older than I expected. They're not Han Dynasty fittings, but carved before iron was introduced, back when bronze swords were worn within the court. These swords were small, only about 55 to 56 cm long. Here are the two jade fittings placed next to a reproduction of the sword owned by Gaujian (reigned 496-465 BC):
[attachment=12136]DSC_0008.JPG[/attachment]
When I received the fittings, I took them to a well-known jeweler. They are made of nephrite, real ancient jade, not the new green stuff known as "jadeite." Both pieces are stained from being in the soil for well over two millenniae... if they are authentic. I think they're the real thing because a faker wouldn't know about the three holes drilled for pinning. Also, they aren't ornate. They're styled in the correct period. So, did I locate two authentic sword fittings... OR? Comments are welcome. :dizzy:
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
