What’s In a Pocchiri? Part 8

Finding some nice pieces has been a fun challenge, so here’s another unique piece with some amazing back story!

Image courtesy of Rinezumi. Materials: Opal, Silver, Sapphire, Amethyst, Jade, Carnelian, Coral, Pearl, Emerald, and Cubic Zirconia Motifs: Flowers and Folding Fan Owned By: Masamiya (雅美家) in Pontocho This piece is truly unique, and although I’m not sure of its age, I can say that its construction makes it stand out over others. It seems to be a juxtaposition between traditional Japanese design and modern, raw materials, most of which are not native to Japan at all! At the base we can see simple design of water ripples, leaves, and small flowers. From there it may be a bit hard to see, but in the center all of the motifs are resting upon an old style cypress fan that’s become synonymous with the nobility; we can tell because of its its leaves (the flat parts of fans) and its inclusion of tassels on long strands of silk cords. It then has beautiful grapes growing over top of the fan as a way to show that the old fan has been left behind. From there the raw and polished cut gems form modern flowers, each stone representing an abstract petal on an almost cubist-like bloom. When it comes to identifying gems it makes me thankful that I attend gem shows and can see what they look like before they’re cut into various shapes as otherwise this would make it much harder to identify! The beautiful pearls that represent the grape berries are of wonderful quality, which is no surprise as Japan is known for its pearls. It was Mikimoto Kōkichi (御木本幸吉) who created the modern method of cultured pearls that basically every company around the world uses today. Since the karyukai only uses the best quality for everything I wouldn’t be surprised if the pearls are the most valuable gems in this entire piece! Looking over to the main motifs, starting at the top most flower we can see a jade roundel that’s engraved with... something. Even after zooming in I can’t tell for sure what it is, but it may be a butterfly. On top of that rests an oval carnelian cabochon and the first of multiple cut cubic zirconia. I’m going with cubic zirconia again on this one as I shouldn’t be able to see the setting through a diamond, but I can definitely see it here. It could possibly be a white sapphire as well since there are other sapphires on this piece, but for now the simple and safest guess is a cubic zirconia. Since it seems to have confused some people last time, it looks like an explanation on some terminology is in order. A cabochon is a precious stone that’s smoothed and polished instead of having facets cut into it. This is often done with opaque gems, such as coral or carnelian, but can be done with translucent gems, such as amethyst and sapphires, too. From there we can look at the largest of the flowers, which features from clockwise: a large amethyst cabochon, an oval cut pink sapphire, a natural shaped opal nugget, another carnelian cabochon, a jade cabochon, another oval cut sapphire, but this time in light blue, and a marquise cut coral cabochon that surrounds another cubic zirconia. For the second flower we can see: a carnelian cabochon that’s more on the yellow side than the others, another raw opal, a raw coral piece, an emerald cut cubic zirconia, and an emerald cut emerald (that’s actually the correct terminology!), all surrounding a solitaire cut amethyst.  All together you can see it in action being worn by maiko Hidekano (秀華乃):

Image courtesy of Hikocd.

What’s In a Pocchiri? Part 5

Before we continue our epic adventure into pocchiri from around the gokagai we need to stop and take a look at the wonders of Kamishichiken!

Image courtesy of Stéphane Barbery. Materials: Carnelian, Jade, Clear Quartz, Ruby, and Silver Motifs: Mandarin Duck Owned By: Daimonji (大文字) in Kamishichiken What could be cuter than a duck!? On the outside they’re adorable birds that are commonly seen occupying the shores of riverbanks all year round, but looking deeper adds additional levels to its symbolism. Mandarin ducks are known to mate for life, so they’re common symbols of fidelity, especially when it comes to weddings. In the karyukai they symbolize the bond between geimaiko and their profession. The stylistic choices here are wonderful and hearken back to pre-World War II costume jewellery. Back then costume jewellery was made from very different materials, with the best from silver and slightly lower made with pot metal. Said pot metal was a nice way of saying that it was made from a mix of metals that are unknown, but are as strong as an old pot. They were often plated in rhodium to last longer, which mimics precious metals like silver but is incredibly durable and keeps a vibrant shine without any oxidization. Fake stones made to mimic real gemstones were the norm, but those mimicking moonstones were especially popular. I can’t say that I’ve seen a style choice like this in maiko pocchiri before, but it adds a bit of elegance that fuses Western and Japanese designs. Even though this mixes Western and Japanese materials, they are pretty easy to identify overall. The base and its waves are silver like most pocchiri and the duck is made from carnelian, which is a type of agate commonly used in Asia. They’re flanked by two pieces of jade that seem to be made to look like lily pads. Although the stones are meant to mimic the old stones that mimic moonstone, these are not actual moonstones! They’re far too clear and lack the blue sheen that real moonstones are known for. Since clear quartz is one of the sacred treasures, it only makes sense that they’d be used in place of foreign moonstones. Rubies that flank the quartz leaves on the branch may not be native to Japan, but they’ve been sourced from various places around Asia for millennia.  It’s quite the show stopper when seen on stage, like when worn by maiko Katsuna (勝奈) for Higashiyama Hanatōro here:

Image courtesy of Byzanceblue.