Jadeite Eighteen Beads Bracelet

The Eighteen Beads Bracelet is a small, portable form of Buddhist rosary used for recitation and meditation. This bracelet has eighteen jadeite beads, four peach-blossom coloured tourmaline spacer beads, accompanied by a tourmaline fotazhu (stupa bead), yunzi (cloud bead), and pendant ornaments made of sapphire and yellow tourmaline. The jadeite and tourmaline used were valued as precious gem materials during the mid to late Qing dynasty. The scholar Ji Yun once wrote that jadeite was ‘considered a treasure surpassing true jade in value’. This bracelet comes from the items confiscated from Puyi’s collection in Tianjin after the War of Resistance against Japanese aggression.