Chinese Jade Toggle
About this piece
Thick amber ring with a wide hole looks like a very serious doughnut.
This toggle is from China, and dates to the 19th century. It is jade. Toggles originally worn for practical use later became valued gifts and artworks, and the article notes that the netsuke of Japan, a similar counterweight for kimono sashes, originated with Chinese toggles. Heavy and rounded at the outer edge, the ring has a wide, smooth central opening. The color mottles from golden tan to rusty brown, with dark flecks scattered across the surface. No carving breaks the plain, softly worn form. It is 2.25 inches wide, 3.25 high and 2 in diameter.
Plain, round, and entirely at ease with that.




