Jade - China

Jade – a gemstone of unique symbolic energy, and unique in the myths that surround it. With its beauty and wide-ranging expressiveness, jade has held a special attraction for mankind for thousands of years.

This gem, with its discreet yet rather greasy lustre, which comes in many fine nuances of green, but also in shades of white, grey, black, yellow, and orange and in delicate violet tones, has been known to Man for some 7000 years. In prehistoric times, however, it was esteemed rather more for its toughness, which made it an ideal material for weapons and tools. Yet as early as 3000 B.C. jade was known in China as 'yu', the 'royal gem'. In the long history of the art and culture of the enormous Chinese empire, jade has always had a very special significance, roughly comparable with that of gold and diamonds in the West. Jade was used not only for the finest objects and cult figures, but also in grave furnishings for high-ranking members of the imperial family. Today, too, this gem is regarded as a symbol of the good, the beautiful and the precious. It embodies the Confucian virtues of wisdom, justice, compassion, modesty and courage, yet it also symbolises the female-erotic. A visit to the jade market, be it in Hong Kong or Rangoon, or at one of the Hong Kong jade auctions organised by Christie's, can give some idea of the significance this gem has for the people of Asia.

Jade', or yu, as it is called in China, is strictly speaking a generic term for two different gems, nephrite and jadeite. The name is derived from the Spanish 'piedra de ijada', loin-stone, jade having been recognised by the Amerindians as a remedy for kidney ailments. Because of its beneficial effect on the kidneys, the stone was also known as 'lapis nephriticus'. That, indeed, is where the term 'nephrite' came from.

Nephrite consists of a micro-crystalline interlocking fibrous matrix of the calcium, magnesium-iron rich amphibole mineral series tremolite (calcium-magnesium)-ferroactinolite (calcium-magnesium-iron). The middle member of this series with an intermediate composition is called actinolite (the silky fibrous mineral form is one form of asbestos). The higher the iron content the greener the color.

Jadeite is a sodium- and aluminum-rich pyroxene. The gem form of the mineral is a micro-crystalline interlocking crystal matrix.

 

Kimono

The kimono is a Japanese traditional garment. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" (ki "wear" and mono "thing"), has come to denote these full-length robes.

Kimono are T-shaped, straight-lined robes worn so that the hem falls to the ankle, with attached collars and long, wide sleeves. Kimono are wrapped around the body, always with the left side over the right (except when dressing the dead for burial) and secured by a sash called an obi, which is tied at the back. Kimono are generally worn with traditional footwear (especially zōri or geta) and split-toe socks (tabi). 

The kimono and obi are traditionally made of silk, silk brocade, silk crepes (such as chirimen) and satin weaves (such as rinzu). Modern kimonos are widely available in less-expensive easy-care fabrics such as rayon, cotton sateen, cotton, polyester and other synthetic fibers. Silk is still considered the ideal fabric.

Let's go to Africa!!!

Wonder how to carry those African memories with you?

Whether you are an art aficionado or one who loves enjoying going down the memory lanes or one who takes great pride in boasting and showcasing their collections, what has African culture in store for you?

Let me not puzzle you by giving you hell lot of options. 

African Sculptures could probably be the right thing for you! Shona Stone Sculpture from Zimbabwe can be the next right thing to possess. 

 

These sculptures are made by world-renowned sculptors. The  realistic and abstract arts are quite famous.

 

The main theme of these arts dare: loving families and animals. These masterpieces are hand-carved. 

Sculptures of African elephants which are distinct from Indian elephants with darker skin and big ears with more mithat are quite different from ours can be something that you can display in your collection and indeed a possession that you can boast about. 

                                               

 

      

           

      

                                I hope you these souvenirs will add beauty to your collection!!!

 

Delftware

Delftware, or Delft pottery, denotes blue and white pottery made in and around Delft in the Netherlands and the tin-glazed pottery made in the Netherlands from the 16th century. Delftware in the latter sense is a type of pottery in which a white glaze is applied, usually decorated with metal oxides. Delftware includes pottery objects of all descriptions such as plates, ornaments and tiles.

At the end of the 16th century tradesmen of the Dutch East India Company imported large quantities of Chinese porcelain. This typical white porcelain with blue decorations became very popular among the rich in Europe and in the beginning of the 17th century some potters started to imitate this technique. Soon a large number of factories were founded mainly in Delft and Rotterdam producing large quantities of vases, plates and of course tiles. Initially they copied the oriental decorations but later designed their own scenes with flowers and Dutch landscapes. The tiles were used to decorate the walls and served as isolation to keep moisture outside.

Klomps

A Klomp is a clog from the Netherlands. Klompen are whole feet clogs.Clogs are a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood. The oldest surviving wooden footwear in Europe is found in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and dates from 1230 and 1280. These finds look very similar to the wooden shoes as they are still worn in The Netherlands.

During excavations near the town of Rotterdam, archaeologists discovered a wooden shoe from 1271. The oldest wooden shoes however were found in Amsterdam. During excavations on the Nieuwendijk an alder wooden shoe dating from 1230 was found.

During the winter the Dutch farmers used to carve their shoes for themselves and their families. Wooden shoes were cheap and the perfect footwear for working on the land. During the 18th century the art of making wooden shoes developed rapidly, and by the 19th century it had become a profession. After the First World War there were at least 3,900 wooden shoe factories in Holland.

Cuckoo Clock from the Black Forest, Interlaken

A cuckoo clock is a typically pendulum-regulated clock traditionally manufactured in the Black Forest in Germany that strikes the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo's call and often has a mechanical cuckoo that emerges with each note. The mechanism to produce the cuckoo call was installed in almost every kind of cuckoo clock since the middle of the 18th century and has remained almost without variation, until the present.The cuckoo clock does not originally come from Switzerland. It’s a Black Forest way of telling time. However, if you really have to have one, then Interlaken is positively chiming with them and is home to "the only genuine Swiss Cuckoo Clock in the world." Lotscher clocks are made of linden wood, are carved in Brienz and assembled in Zürich. They also cost. So if you have the money and want your home to take on a real Alpine flair, then make sure you buy the real thing.

Tanjore dolls

A tanjore doll is a type of traditional Indian bobblehead or roly-poly toy made of terracotta material. Its centre of gravity and total weight is concentrated at its bottom-most central core all the time so as to present a dance-like continuous movement with slow-damping oscillations. Hence it comes back to its normal seating position automatically after being tilted/disturbed anyway. Round-bottomed toys are unique, but other standing types are available too. Traditionally these toys are handmade and their exteriors are painted to an intrinsic sense of humour.