Vintage Shibayama Locket earrings The powder blue and white

The powder blue and white

With the fall of the Napoleonic system in 1814

It's worth remembering that the goldsmiths making these pieces had likely never seen a snake

Much of the masonic jewellery we see (this was probably intended to be worn as a fob on a watch chain) has the ability to change its form

It dates from the Victorian era

Vintage Shibayama Locket earrings The powder blue and whiteThe Shibayama () technique was created by noki Senz, an Edo haberdasher who lived during the 18th century. Utilising a variety of materials of varying colours and textures from mother of pearl to horn to stained ivory to coral he would inlay small, shaped pieces into a base material such as gold lacquer, wood, or ivory. The technique is named after the town in Chiba prefecture where noki lived, and it flourished under the patronage of the feudal