Antique Gold Dragon and Phoenix Bangle

19th century carved gold bangle set in 22k.

The gold work features a Straits Chinese dragon-phoenix carving.

Two attributes we must see before we acknowledge a piece to be reflective of early Straits ‘heirloom’ type:

1. the gold is thick; and
2. the carving is masterful, beyond deft.

The wall of the gold is first thick, then thinning as repoussé carving must be.

Where the outside is deft from textural details, the inner wall is smooth with carving depth.

The scene is alive from artistic sectioning, nothing repeats: half the bangle is drawn with the dragon and the other half the phoenix, separated by the hinge and clasp.

The hinge and clasp are themselves built into and carved onto gold, its mechanism made sublime since every part contributes to the scene.

A thing is considered ‘heirloom’ when even practical parts are artistically rendered.

The scaled and feathered details are distinct and expansive, expressed over the long-drawn mythical bodies, each cleaving to one half of the bangle.

This half-length is truly enough to see each creature vividly, being this bangle’s splendour.

Antique Chinese gold jewelry whose carving style is archaic is highly collectible, because it is just hard to replicate thought design and craftsmanship in one stroke.

Yin Yang jewels with provenance are far and few.

But, being Straits Chinese, its value is precious in a way antiquity alone falls short.

At 15mm tall, the internal diameter measures 60mm, with an open-close hinge.

The bangle weighs 56.7 grams.