Xiuyan Jade Mother and Child Rings

Three rings of jade, one inside the next, cut from a single stone.

The mother and child ring (母子环) is an old carver's form: a disc cut into rings that sit one inside the other, the smallest at the heart, so the piece stands for what grows out of what holds it. It is given between mothers and children and hung where it will be seen daily rather than worn. The stone is Xiuyan jade, named for the county in Liaoning where it is cut, a soft serpentine jade that runs from honey yellow to grey-green in the same piece. Each set carries fine concentric grooves and an aged surface that makes it look older than it is.

Roughly 6cm across on a plain cord. Chosen for a new mother, a child leaving home, or a grandmother's bedside.