S925 Silver Jadeite Inlaid Open Ring

An open ring has one immediate advantage: when you give it away, you do not have to chase the person for a finger size. The stone is jadeite, a hard jade that is not the same material as the nephrite of Hetian. It entered the Chinese repertoire of objects relatively late and only really flourished in the Qing, when the court used it for archer's rings, hairpins and court beads and the wider market followed. Colour runs from white through green to lavender, and the trade speaks of seed and water, with words like glass, ice and glutinous rice describing translucency rather than origin. Buyers like to ask about the water head. That means transparency, not brightness. The two are different things.

The setting is where most of the cost sits. A bezel wraps silver around the stone: secure, and forgiving, since a little cotton at the edge of the stone disappears once the rim closes over it. A claw setting leaves four small claws so that light can get in and the stone looks brighter, but if a claw works loose the stone will shift. To judge the setting, look at the seam where the stone meets the silver and see whether it is even. A fraction out and the light draws a dark line along it. The claws should also match in length; one long and one short loads the stone unevenly.

The open band is convenient. The size does not need to be measured precisely: index, middle and ring finger can all try it, one size covers three, and it is hard to give the wrong one. The drawback is just as plain. The open section takes the strain, so do not wear it to lift anything heavy or to twist the lid off a jar. To adjust it, hold both sides and close it slowly. Silver springs back, and once it has been pinched all the way shut it will not come back. Both ends are rounded, so they do not scrape the skin or catch a sweater.

The listing sits under ritual objects, in the vajra group, and I should be clear about this: the ring has no religious reference. A plain band, one stone, an opening. It is a ring for everyday wear, and forcing it into that other category would be a stretch. Dressing it is simple. A dark shirt or a plain knit both hold it, and the stone reads deep against dark and bright against white. On the index finger it looks brisk, on the ring finger more formal. The inside of the band is polished, so it turns without scraping.

Jadeite chips, so take the ring off for housework and do not store it loose with hard objects. The silver around the setting oxidises faster than the band itself, because air reaches it through the seam. Stop the silver cloth at the edge of the stone. The polish on the face of the stone cannot be brought back once it has been scratched.