The Zhaoyi jewelry store in Beijing, China
houses a small museum displaying filigree inlay art pieces
on the third floor.
Originated more than 2,000 years ago,
filigree inlay is now considered an important part
of China's cultural heritage.
This is a replica of the crown worn around 1600 AD
by Empress XiaoDuan, consort of Emperor WanLi of the Ming
Dynasty.
Jewelers who made this spectacular replica first
carefully measured and analyzed the original crown
recovered from the Empress's tomb
to create a blueprint before they started work
on the reproduction.
The dragons on the top of the crown
are made by filigree inlay techniques.
Historically, only the royal family
could own or wear filigree inlay.
The vivid blue on the phoenixes and leaves
comes from kingfisher feathers.
Only a few people know how to apply the feathers today
and the technique was almost forgotten.
Also, only feathers from the back of the bird will work
and the variety of kingfisher used for the feathers
is an endangered species.
So acquiring the feathers was difficult.
Fortunately, a few old master jewelers
still had some feathers in their private collections
and donated them when they heard about the project.
The jewelers wanted the replica to be as authentic as possible
so they were careful to select rubies, sapphires,
and other materials that closely matched those
on the original crown for size, shape, color, and quality.
The jewelry displayed on this mannequin
is called "Imperial Classics: Descending from the Cloud."
The set includes a necklace, bracelet,
and a pair of earrings.
They're made of 22 karat gold threads using
all the techniques of filigree inlay art.
The 22 karat gold threads are both easy to bend
and have a rich gold color.
The stones are dark jadeite that looks
black under normal lighting.
They're rose cut to give them more reflective surfaces, which
gives the jewelry a contemporary look
while the color combination of the black jadeite
and the dazzling gold is very classic.
The dress itself is also very special.
The fabric, called the yungin, is also
part of Chinese cultural heritage.
It's made completely by hand and one skilled fabric maker
can only create about 5 centimeters per day.
Lawrence Xu, a prominent designer
of evening dresses for Chinese movie stars,
made the dress specifically for this set of jewelry.
And a well known Chinese movie star, Pace Wu,
wore it at the launch ceremony of this jewelry
set, which was highly praised.
This is a filigree vase.
The original was owned by the Qing imperial family
and is now in the collection in the Palace Museum.
It was made using three different thicknesses
of gold thread.
Thick gold thread was used to construct
the frame of the vase.
Then the goldsmith used thinner thread
in between the thick ones to form the curved grass pattern.
And the thinnest thread was used in between the grass
leaves to form the veins.
12 separate units are connected to form the vase, joined
together by a concave structure with the same grass pattern.
It is an outstanding example of the delicate filigree inlay
technique.
This gemstone and pearl filigree necklace
is a replica of a classical piece from around 600 AD.
This piece has appeared in many art textbooks
because it combines both Western and Asian artistic elements.
The center stone of the necklace is a ruby surrounded by pearls.
Below is a large lapis pendant.
The necklace is composed of many gold filigree spheres, which
can each be individually rotated 360 degrees.
The necklace originally belonged to the granddaughter
of Emperor Xuan of the Sui dynasty,
who died when she was only nine.
Her grandmother, Empress Yang Lihua, was so heartbroken,
she placed the necklace in the granddaughter's tomb.
This sentimental gesture preserved it
so that we can enjoy it today.
This is a replica of a filigree Ming dynasty woman's hair clasp
in the form of a magical phoenix standing on a cloud.
The majority of the phoenix's weight
is concentrated under its chest, so the designer
added weight to the right side of the cloud
to allow him to center the support post.
This piece is a filigree masterpiece
of design, technique, and engineering.
The design at this 22 karat gold filigree bracelet
is three roses connected by branches of leaves.
The stones in the center of the roses
are dark jadeite, which provide contrast
to the delicate gold work.
This is a modern Zhaoyi design, not a replica.
Thick gold threads were used to construct
the outlines of the petals and leaves.
And patterns of thin gold threads
were used for the veins.
Each petal was made separately and placed in layers
to make the flowers more three dimensional and lifelike.
This is a filigree pot.
The original is from the Qing dynasty
and is now part of the Palace Museum collection.
Thick gold threads were used for the frame of the pot,
while thin gold threads were knitted into grass patterns
to fill the spaces in between.
The cover of the pot has the same structure as the body.
The pot is very light but still very stable.
It's a typical piece representing
the peak of filigree inlay art in Qing dynasty.
This is a gold replica of a hair decoration
in the design of a flying goddess.
The original is a national treasure from the 13th century
AD.
The goddess is flying freely in the sky
and wears an elaborate crown and a soft flowing dress.
Her facial features are clearly defined.
The piece is not just beautiful but it's also a practical tool
to hold hair.
The original piece was recovered from the Quhui Temple
in the city of Datong , Shanxi province.
Genghis Khan's granddaughter admired a well-known scholar
at the temple and gave him this flying goddesses as a gift.
This is a fingernail cover.
Very thin gold threads were knitted
to form the ancient coin pattern.
And there's a butterfly decoration on the end.
Fingernail protectors were only worn
by women of very high social status or rank
and they could be made of any material such as enamel, not
just gold.
The Empress Dowager Cixi, of the Qing dynasty, who died in 1908,
made fingernail protectors an important accessory.
And the design and the technique to make them
reached its peak during her lifetime.
This filigree pendant is a miniature purse
with a colorless jadeite center stone.
The gold thread is woven like cloth
and the purse opens and closes.
This is a very typical modern style filigree piece.
This gold ornament is a replica of a Qing dynasty masterpiece.
It shows a young boy playing with a gold arowana or dragon
fish.
The boy rides on the fishes' dragon-like head
and holds a Chinese traditional weapon called the Ji.
The pronunciation of Ji in Chinese
also means good luck so the designer used the weapon
to symbolize good luck.
The edges of this piece are a fine pattern
made of extremely thin gold threads.
This woman's hair ornament is a replica
of a Qing dynasty piece.
On top is a little bull looking backwards and below
it are clouds.
A closer look reveals the detail of the eyes, ears,
and muzzle of the bull.
This is another woman's hair ornament.
The original piece is from the Song dynasty
which ended in the 13th century AD.
It's made of two parallel posts capped by peony flowers
with three layers of petals.
The sides of the posts were engraved.
This is a replica of a fragrance holder,
also from the Song dynasty.
It's a heart shaped box.
The cover is decorated with flowers and grass
patterns made of gold threads.
Engraving was also used on the cover
to make the patterns more alive.
The case itself is made of thin gold sheets which
allows the cover to fit tightly over it.
This is a purse made of 22 karat gold
thread woven to imitate cloth.
On either side, near the clasp, there's
a carved chrysanthemum set with the ruby cabochon.
This purse is a modern design.
This is another modern purse design
that makes use of many traditional skills.
The main body of the purse is made of interconnected rings.
Every individual ring is linked to four other rings around it,
which allows the purse to move easily
and gives it a soft, silky feeling.
The opening has a carved leaf design with flowers.
The four flowers have rubies in the center and petals covered
with bead-set diamonds.
The clasp is a leaf, also bead-set with diamonds.
These modern designs demonstrate the creativity
of today's Chinese jewelers while celebrating
the traditional beauty of filigree inlay art
and preserving the skills of their cultural heritage.