Chinese Snuff Bottle Discussion Forum 中國鼻煙壺討論論壇

I previously posted a modern picture jasper bottle I bought because I liked the stone. This is another bottle I bought simply because I like the stone. I am honestly not sure what kind of stone it is made of. It might possibly be picasso jasper or even cherry creek as both tend to sometimes have weird variations, but I am unsure. Though not as nice as the picture jasper, it feels unusually good in hand and the maroonish colored dendrites somehow remind me of tree branches with blossoms.

I also bought a few rather hideous bottles and will post them as a reply here. They may be good for a laugh.

Hi Ileney,

I do like some of these modern plain stone bottles. And I agree, this is a particularly attractive one.
Sorry I can't put a name to this type of jasper.  With his lapidary experience, George should be able to help you out.

Tom

WARNING! Looking directly at the bottles below may be hazardous to your health. Symptoms of direct eye contact may include dizziness, nausea, ringing in ears, fainting, or an intense desire to smash your computer screen. Bottles are best viewed from a distance and out of the corner of your eye. You can then tell yourself that you actually did not see them and go back to what you were doing.

1) Bottle 1, the quartz mama and baby fish,  just arrived and is monstrously heavy. I thought snuffs were little lightweight things you put in your pocket and possibly rubbed for good luck. Sometimes I drill them and string them on chains as pendants or as large beads. This behemoth arrived weighing nearly half a pound and with a big chip in the fin of the littler fish. It is 3.25" by 2.75" by 2.75" and is carved out of quartz that is heavily included and has a few rutile hair strands as well. The rice paper and bamboo stick for the spoon fell into the bottle and are jiggling around in there, but I can't get them out. I doubt there was ever a spoon. I guess this might be a few years old? Why would anyone make something like this? Why did I buy it? It was under $10.

2) Bottle 2, the agate leaf, was bought a while ago. I liked the pattern of the stone, but in pictures, I could not see the carving clearly. I feel the carving really takes away from it. Also, the polish on the stone is a little uneven. Maybe I will just grind off that carving if I am feeling ambitious at some point and hope it is not prone to cracks.

3) Bottle 3 arrived in the mail and was not jade, as advertised, or jasper, as I hoped, at all. It was glass. Cheap, nasty glass. I contacted the seller who agreed to refund most of my money. Don't cry for me. I only paid $5.5o for it. However, that was much too much. I planned to drill it as a bead but it was so hideous I immediately lost it somewhere in the house. It's laying in wait, I am convinced, eager to pop out and scare me when I least expect it.  I found a similar one on ebay (but the seller truthfully identifies it as glass), so I've copied his picture here. Picture this same bottle- made of worse quality glass.

4) Bottle 4 is cloisonne. It is rubbish. Even drilling it as a bead will not save it from looking like rubbish, I fear, but that is its' destiny.

5) Bottle 5 is the worst of all. It is resin, as you can see. For some reason Buddha seems to have children crawling on him and a snarl on his face. You would too if anyone depicted you so poorly. It may be too heavy to be made into a pendant and besides, who would buy it? But again, under $10, so no big loss.

I think this a type of Owyhee Picture Jasper.. It does look like it would fit well in hand..  Pretty material and bottle..

I never imagined snuff bottle collecting could be so hazardous.  That was a close call.
Thanks for the warning...!   ;D

Hahahaha....