Chinese Vietnamese Silver Pendant

Silver & Nephrite Pendant

This very fine pendant is in two joined halves and features much delicately-rendered openwork. A central roundel of a phoenix in flight surrounded by a border of flowers and leaves, and then an outer border of eight petals decorated with sprays of plum blossoms with more openwork is on one side. On the other is a central roundel of nephrite (or possibly jadeite) with a central plaque engraved with a long-life symbol, and all surrounded by a fine border of peony or plum blossoms, and then an outer border of petals in-filled with blossoms.

Three lots of three elongated bud-like tassels hang from the base and sides of the pendant. And from the top, is a braided silver wire chain decorated with three inter-woven silver beads.

The motifs suggest a southern China provenance. The tassels and the faceting of the silverwork also suggest a possible Vietnamese provenance, possibly by locally based Sino-Vietnamese craftsmen.

The pendant is complete, without losses and robust: it is highly wearable.

UK art market