RED CHALCEDONY
Red chalcedony (carnelian agate), known in the ancient times as “red jade”, is rich-coloured with a delicate texture. Its Chinese name nanhong,which literally means southern red agate, comes from its place of origin in southern Xinjiang. During the ancient times, it was used as medicine,prized for its purportedly nourishing and replenishing properties, and as ornaments and utensils. A collection of unearthed red chalcedony ornaments from the ancient Dian kingdom is displayed at the Yunnan Provincial Museum. Another example is the southern red agate phoenix cup from the Qing dynasty showcased in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
Renowned Ming-dynasty traveller Xu Xiake documented his encounter with red chalcedony. Being an agate of supreme quality and rarity, when immersed in water, the stone exhibited an exceptional sheen. Historically, Baoshan in Yunnan Province was the only place that produced southern red agate, but it was depleted during the Qianlong period. Upon recent discoveries of new agate mines around Baoshan, Liangshan region in Sichuan province and Diebu County in Gansu province, red chalcedony has aroused great interest among collectors.
Most of the top-quality red chalcedony traded in the modern day invariably comes from the Baoshan region, including the celebrated “persimmon red” southern red agate. Despite their fine texture and enticing beauty, Baoshan agate is often found with hairline cracks. It is commonly used to fashion graduated bead necklace or small ornaments. It is extremely rare to find a Baoshan agate necklace composed of beads of similar size.
This season, Tiancheng International is delighted to present a strand of red chalcedony meditation beads. Perfectly-rounded and even in colour, these 108 beads possess an enchanting persimmon-red hue and luminous lustre, demonstrating the finest qualities of southern red agate.