Chinese Jade Toggle or Bead

A long spindle bead with swirling relief that looks like carved smoke.

This toggle or bead is from China, and dates to the 19th century. It is jade. Many toggles carried auspicious symbols drawn from wordplay, so a monkey, whose word can sound like the word for Marquis, suggested high rank, and a carp suggested success in civil service examinations. The tapered, torpedo-shaped body is carved with raised curling bands in cream against a darker reddish brown ground. The surface is worn smooth in places and rough in others. It is 0.5 inches long and 2.25 high.

A lot of swirl for something this slim.