Chinese Jade Turtle Toggle

Head up, flippers out and a russet patch across the shell like a cap worn at an angle.

This turtle toggle comes from China and is carved in jade. In Chinese art the turtle is a long-standing emblem of longevity and endurance, and small carvings like this were often worn or carried as toggles and charms. The stone is a pale celadon green, with a warm brown skin left across the back of the shell. Fine incised lines mark out the plates of the carapace, and the four flippers spread flat at the sides. The head lifts slightly, with small round eyes. It is 2 inches long, 1.5 wide and 0.5 high.

Slow, steady and smooth enough to hold all day.