Forged in harmony with The Artificers’ Record philosophy of “celestial timing and earthly essence,”these earrings feature 925 sterling silver frames polished to a frost-white luster. Each Chenzhou cinnabar bead is meticulously shaped using the Tang dynasty “cold-enamel” inlay technique, its spherical form embodying the Zhoubi Suanjing‘s celestial geometry of “perfect circles born from squared compasses.”
The silver settings are etched with simplified crane motifs inspired by Tang dynasty gold combs from the Hejia Village hoard—three layered ruyi clouds mimic the flowing gestures of Dunhuang’s flying apsaras, while coiled silver threads echo the interlocking brackets of Yingzao Fashi temple ceilings. The cinnabar’s vermilion glow rivals the scarlet phoenix in Mawangdui silk paintings, while the silver gleams like moonlit silk from The Moonlit Silk Dance. Together, they whisper the wisdom of Yin-Yang balance.
At their core lies cinnabar purified through a Daoist ninefold process, sealing the Shennong’s Herbal Classic’s promise to “nurture the spirit and calm the soul.” The curved silver posts mirror the gentle arcs of Southern Song sericulture scrolls, designed for seamless wear. When worn, the beads sway like the rouge-dusted hairpins of Li Qingzhao’s love poems or the guardian pearls clutched by Forbidden City roof beasts—talismanic elegance that shields as it adorns.
