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Dear All

I have question of jade snuff bottle. I found all jade snuff bottles in the markets in HK and China are hollow like figure 1, may be they have one like figure 2 but I haven't found yet.

Have anybody seen the authentic one in the museums or books that hollow like figure 2?

So, how hollow jade snuff bottles would actually be?

Thank you

Anita Mui

I believed all older and better quality Jade snuff bottles are hollow as figure 2 and the low end, probably 1920-present snuff bottle are hollowed out as figure 1, as some shops want to make some quite cash. It is a major job to carve out the inside of a hard stone even with today's dimond bits. I posted a hetian jade snuff here about few months ago is hollow out as figure 2.

I purchased a group of snuff bottles a few months ago, most are from 19th Century. One 19th agate snuff bottle I have is hollowed from top AND the bottom, the base later sealed with lead or some kind of metal. I never see another snuff bottle make that way. Very interesting! Anyone here sees or hears this before?

See link for the jade snuff
http://asianart.com/phpforum/index.php?method=detailAll&Id=25945

I think readers here will find my article of interest "Heavy Stones that Really Float! Chinese Snuff Bottles"



URL Title :Heavy Stones that Really Float! Chinese Snuff Bottles

Should be hollowed out quite well to give a translucence...

Anita

I consider the #1 to be of recent vintage, while #2, being more difficult to make, older. Now, there are still carvers doing it the old way, but for the normal tourist market #1 prevails.
Ernest

Hi Anita,
I have sold several thousand snuff bottles over the years, including numbers of old jade and other hardstone examples.
The old collector's criteria, especially for those of jade, was that they were sufficiently hollowed out that with the cap in place, they floated in a bowl of water. These were known as "floaters".
One rarely sees them today.
Merry Christmas all.
Regards
Tony

Dear Anita,

The Fig. 1 type jade snuff bottles are for display use and not for practical uses. They are more likely new. Since jade is harder(especially jadeite) and toughter(especially nephrite) than many other materials, they are usually not quite like Fig. 2 type that is for larger piece of other material such as agate(some agate snuff bottle can float on water), and for softer material such as amber and horn. I have seen some very nice Qing white nephrite snuff bottles that had large capacity like Fig. 2 with slightly thicker wall.

Randy Li

Anita,
Interesting thought, but mechanically the internal proportions could not be any different then the entrance point of a piece of natural jade. No different than jade vases that I’ve seen.

Cheers!
Jim

Hi Anita,

The correct hollowness should be per figure 2 and not figure 1.

Judy

Dear All

Thank you for casting your valuable opinion.

Have fun
Anita Mui

Judy,

Your picture is an extreme example of hollowing. A more practical example is shown in the 2 inch (5 cm) tall rose quartz snuff bottle below. Getting the shoulders hollowed out is very difficult.

Cheers,
Stan

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