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

OK, time for a little fun.......!
This rock crystal bottle came without a stopper, and I have four possible options which fit.

The first one is a lilac coloured jadeite; the second an old red carnelian 'split bead'; the third a deep blue lapis lazuli; and the fourth (very subtle but doesn't show up too well in the photo) is a pale clear smoky quartz cabochon. 

All are set in a gilt metal collar.

PS: the bottle itself will feature on a separate post shortly.

Dear Tom,
since Joey has taught me that the stopper or at least the collar, if present, must have a slight largest diameter of the neck, I can’t stand anymore the view of a bottle with the stopper smaller than the neck. I am seriously suspecting that I have Asperger too. A smaller collar indeed makes no sense and that hurts my view. So I will vote against all the four stoppers.
But if I have to choose the color only, I would vote the lilac and the red.
Nice bottle!
Giovanni

I agree with Giovanni about the diameter of the stopper compared to neck size.. Joey has mentioned the same many times..

That aside, I vote for the pale clear smoky quartz cabochon stopper, and its low profile for this bottle..

Thanks for a fun poll and a beautiful bottle too !!

Dear Tom,
 
     With the caveat mentioned by Giovanni & George, I prefer the traditional Red, or the striking Blue.
Best,
Joey

Tom,
 
Although I love the lavender and smoky quartz, the 1st and 4th stoppers are a little to subtle for my tastes.  The red to me draws away from the bottle, while the blue is my preferred color for this bottle that draws my view down the body of the bottle from the stopper. 

Charll 

Thank you all for your votes and comments. Voting is not closed until next weekend, so let's see more of the newer forum members casting their votes.

Giovanni and Joey have pointed out their preference for a collar which extends beyond the neck of the bottle. This vote is about the cabochon atop the collar, so thank you both for voting on that point. Following Giovanni's comment I re-checked the diameters of both neck and collar. The bottle neck stands at 24.5 mm (or 31/32 of an inch), which turns out to be the widest of any stone bottle in my entire collection. The collar seen in options 1,2 and 3 is the same in each photo. It too is 24.5 mm in diameter. So they are exactly the same width, although reflections in the photos may make them not look so. The collar on the fourth and last option is a different one, with a diameter of 23.7 mm (15/16 of an inch) - so there is a 0.4 mm (1/64 of an inch) step in all round.  My apologies, but I don't have a larger collar in my stock!   ;D

Tom

Undoubtedly, the red one is the most beautifull colour and shape of all ;)

Thanks Albert!

Any more? Seventy-five people have read the thread, but still only 11 votes. C'mon, don't be shy. This is a lot easier than voting in an election!

Dear Tom,

I did vote for the fourth option and agree that there should be a slightly larger collar. Also I would like to push this further by requesting for this collar to be made of a hardstone. A Lapis or Aquamarine or....

Cheers  :P,
YT

Dear YT,

Hmm....are you this picky when voting at elections too?
Do you ask the candidates to change their necktie before voting for them?
(Mind you, in the case of Mr. Trump, I wouldn't blame you.)    ::)  ;D

Tom

Hahahhaa...
It is a matter of taste and knowing my rights  ;D ;D

Usually I am not so picky  :P

Dear Tom,

     Better Trump any day than that  evil b**** Hillary, whatever she is wearing. And ditto for  Sanders.
Joey


 

I think I like the red stopper best, with the Lapis one close behind.  Nice Bottle!

So, Albert and Jo, vote up above in the poll, already!  ;D
Joey

Done!

Dear Tom,

I love the bottle!! Very elegant carving!!

I voted red one, but I like the shape of the 4th stopper, if its not the reflection on the clear quartz, it might look better in reality.

Best!

Steven

 Dear Tom,
  A very beautiful bottle w/fine carvings - congratulations, and I look forward to reading the post on it!

( As for stopper choice- I have to abstain from voting - my favorite colors are red and blue-  However, I would not want to risk creating a distraction to the eyes on a bottle that was done at a very high level like this by using a stopper that may not be so easy on the eyes for character in size, material, age or color choice  ;D

Best,

Kevin

I think this is also why I am attracted the lower profile cabochon on the #4 stopper.

I prefer the blue lapis, (but I am less educated about snuff bottles than most people here, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.)

Tom,
The red one is appealing to me.

Inn Bok

It is more a taste issue than an education issue, so your opinion is just as valid as anyone else's.
Best,
Joey

Lovely bottle Tom, I vote for the red stopper but like the collar on the black the best. :)

Cheers
Uma

Thanks Uma,

Did you cast your vote yet? Just click on the button next to your choice at the top of the screen.  ;)

Tom

oops, thanks Tom. Done now  :)

Good thing this is not  'Audience Votes' on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"! It is pretty well evenly voted.
Best,
Joey

Thank you all for taking part in this poll!  This is one of the biggest turn-outs I can remember seeing. Thanks especially to our newer members on the forum. The result is very evenly spread, as Joey has pointed out. Which only goes to show that we all have different tastes.....thankfully.

I very much wanted to use the blue lapis, because I bought a number of lapis cabochons nearly 20 years ago. They have been knocking around in a drawer ever since because I never found the "right" bottle for any of them. Even though the fit was perfect the colour just didn't seem to enhance the bottle, so I reluctantly rejected it. The smoky quartz stopper is VERY "shibui" (a Japanese adjective meaning simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty), which appeals to my aesthetic taste. But I am put off by the flat profile of the dome. I much prefer tall domes like that of the red carnelian stopper. Red is a popular choice with collectors for quartz and chalcedony bottles, but I felt that in the case of this bottle it was a little too overpowering.
     
I finally decided on the lilac jade stopper. It seemed to complement the icy coolness of the quartz and fitted in with the wintry landscape perfectly. So this is the one I have used to illustrate the bottle on a post in another thread entitled "Crystal Clear", where more information can be found on the bottle itself....  

http://snuffbottle.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,1842.0/msg,41986.html  (http://snuffbottle.smfforfree.com/index.php/topic,1842.0/msg,41986.html)

PS: I've never watched "Who Wants To Be A Millionnaire", so not sure of the implications...   ::)

Dear Tom,

     I must admit that your choice is quite pleasing. The truth is, all would have suited, though I didn't like the low profile of the last one, or putting quartz with quartz.

     The reason many collectors prefer a red or orange stopper with a clear (quartz) or white (nephrite jade) bottle, is because it symbolises Yin and Yang.

    Yin and Yang Colours

Yin colours are the colours that bring about healing and relaxation. It is considered more feminine and calm. Yin colours : clear, white, blue, purple and green.

Yang colours are the colours that provide us the enthusiasm or the active energy required to do something or be motivated. It is considered more masculine and bold.
Yang colours : red, yellow and orange.

   These are just short lists of Yin & Yang colours.
 Best,
Joey

 Dear Tom,

     In the program mentioned below, the competitor tries to go from 0 to UK£ 1 million  by answering 15 questions, each with 4 possible answers. Which get harder as they are worth more money. The first few (for 100, 200, and 500 UK£, are stupidly easy; then, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 8,000, etc. are progressively harder.

    One  starts the game with 3 'lifelines': "Ask a Friend", "Take away two Wrong Answers", and "Ask The Audience". Many times, the latter has 94% on one answer, and a few % on each of the others.

Best,
Joey
   


PS: I've never watched "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", so not sure of the implications...   ::)

[/quote]

Dear Joey,

I never knew choices of stopper colour were selected for that reason. I've learned something new.

Best,
Tom

PS: Thanks for explaining that TV game show. Obviously no one-sided results on my poll.  ;)

Dear Tom,
 
     My pleasure. I would not say ALL collectors base their stoppering on it, but certainly most educated collectors would. And many bottles come to us already matched based on these principles.
Best,
Joey

Dear Joey,

In that case I must belong to the uneducated minority!   ::)  ;D

Best,
Tom

Dear Tom,

     No, you used to belong to the uneducated majority of collectors; but NOW you know, you belong to the educated minority. whether you choose to use the knowledge is up to you...
Best,
Joey