FROM THE WATCHMAKER AND JEWELLERS ESTATE MUSEUM I WILL BE LISTING MORE OF THEIR MUSEUM ITEMS DURING WHICH WILL INCLUDE ANTIQUE CARVED NETSUKE PIECES AS WELL AS THE VICTORIAN CARVED KAURI AMBER/GUM ITEMS. This stunning item is a fine walnut wood carved Ojime bead that the estate notes date it to the Edo era Circa 1850 or Meiji era Circa 1860's, it has has two natural pearls and has many garnet cabochons set in it around the pearls and has an etched signature which is attributed to the well known and respected 19th Century Ojime bead and Netsuke carver Jikan Ganbun and has a gilded bronze collar top and bottom through which the cord runs through ( the cord with it is an old velvet one), Ojime beads served as a functional accessory used in conjunction with a Netsuke and Sagemono or Inro that served as fasteners for embossed carrying cases, the Ojime bead was used to keep the cord of the Inro case secured and could be slid up and down the rope to change the tension of the case. The last picture shows the Ojime etc in use on clothing. This charming item measures 1.3/4 inches in length x 1 .1/2 inch in width and just over 1 inch in overall thickness. The estate notes list this as bought in the late 1950's from a private collector of Ojime beads and Netsuke and most likely dates from the Edo era Circa 1850 or the Meiji Period Circa 1890 with the etched signature being attributed to Jikan Ganbun a Japanese craftsman who lived during the 19th century, active in both Kyoto and Edo.
Please view the many pictures I have taken. POSTAGE NZ COURIER POST SIGNATURE TRACKING IS $13.50.