Mr. Sun's collection of various old silverware.
Qin Chu Network News (Shiyan Evening News) text/ reporter Luo Yi Photo / Reporter Lu Shiyin Report: Since the 1980s, collection enthusiast Mr. Sun has gone to his hometown to collect all kinds of old silverware, and in the past 40 years, he has collected more than 200 pieces of silverware such as bracelets, silver noodles, silver hairpins, and silver locks. Most of these silverware are items from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, from Shiyan locality. Among them is a pair of silver wire bracelets, which are made of thin silver wires in a circle, weighing up to half a kilogram, which is relatively rare.
Mr. Sun's collection of hairpins.
Wiped with white paper, the "black silver noodles" become bright and sturdy
Recently, the reporter walked into the home of Mr. Sun, a collector, only to see a table full of various old silverware, which was dazzling. The reporter saw that many of these silverware are silver noodles and silver hairpins. From the perspective of type, these silver hairpins vary in size and are engraved with different patterns. Some silver hairpins also have small bells and pendants, which are particularly delicate in shape. In terms of color, some silver hairpins are shiny and some silver pins are pitch black. "In fact, it is all silverware, but it is too long, and the surface of the silverware is oxidized, so it becomes black." Mr. Sun said that he picked up a black silver noodle and rubbed it with a few times of white paper, and the silver noodle was suddenly shiny. "This is the characteristic of old silverware, which looks black on the surface, and as long as it is rubbed on paper or with toothpaste, it will immediately light up." Mr. Sun said that this is also one of the ways to judge old silverware.
The reporter saw that the top of several silver nobiles was also inlaid with round items, such as agate and jadeite; some silver nobiles showed the color of gold, "This is the process of silver gilding, very beautiful." Mr. Sun introduced. The reporter also found that on the back of all the silver noodles and silver hairpins, there were inscriptions. For example, on the back of one silver noodle, the three words "Qiu Yongtai" are engraved, and the other silver noodle is engraved with the three words "Zhongyi Lou". "This is the name of the silver building at that time, indicating where this silver noodle came from." Mr. Sun introduced that on some silver noodles, not only the name of the silver building is indicated, but also the name of the silversmith.
Among these silverware, there are also several larger items, including a silver collar that can be worn around the neck of a child. There is also a long-life lock silverware that can be worn around the neck. In addition, there are smaller items, such as silver sachets, the size of fingers, that can be easily hung under the clasp. There is also a pair of silver bells, very small.
From the shape, the reporter found that some silver noodles and silver hairpins were engraved with images of bats on the top. "Bats mean 'blessing on the head' and 'blessing in front of the eyes', representing people's yearning for a better life." Mr. Sun introduced. Some silverware are engraved with the pattern of the unicorn, which also means auspiciousness.
Silver cup.
A pair of silver wire bracelets weighed half a pound
The reporter saw that among the silverware collected by Mr. Sun, in addition to the silverware that can be worn, there are also some silverware in the shape of animals. One of the silver ones is known, and the four wings are clearly visible and vivid; there is a silver butterfly, exquisitely shaped, as if it is going to fly high. There is also a phoenix-shaped silverware made of thin silver sheets, and there are several small birds next to the phoenix. Mr. Sun speculated that this silverware may have been an object used by ancient people in the Shiyan area to perform phoenix lamps.
In addition, there are some silverware for household goods, including silver boxes, silver wine hangings, silver cups, silver soup spoons, and silver ear scoops. Among them, the silver cup is about the same size as the bowl that people eat at home now, with three feet at the bottom and the words engraved on the bottom of the cup. Silver wine hangings and silver spoons are well preserved, and are speculated to be the utensils used by large families in ancient times. The silver ear scoop is very small and beautifully shaped.
The most surprising thing is a pair of silver bracelets. The reporter saw that this pair of silver bracelets was not made of silver blocks as a whole, but was surrounded by a circle of thin silver wire, and the two silver bracelets weighed half a kilogram. "This pair of silver bracelets is very well colored and has a good craftsmanship, coming from a large family." Mr. Sun speculated that the pair of silver bracelets may have been given as gifts by rich people in ancient times. "Because it's too heavy, it's not possible to wear it on your wrist very often."
Mr. Sun introduced that he loves to collect, since the 1980s, when he collected items in various townships in Shiyan, he found that many farmers had old silverware in their homes, and the shape was very beautiful. Since then, he has begun to collect old silverware, and has collected more than 200 old silverware to date. Most of these silverware are items from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, from Yunxi, Yunyang, Danjiangkou and other places in Shiyan.
Silver jewelry animal shape.
Nowadays, old silverware is rare in the homes of residents
Mr. Sun introduced that as a large category in the collection, there are many types of silverware. The most common such as hairpins, earrings, bracelets, but also some daily necessities, such as spoons, chopsticks, toothpicks and some decorations. The craftsmanship techniques of silverware include casting, forging, engraving, skeletonizing, welding, weaving, inlaying, etc. Filigree is the most famous in Beijing and Chengdu, among which the silver wire products in Chengdu do not use molds, all rely on the artists to use the fine silver wire as thin as hair by hand to use the process of filling silk, silk, threading, silk rubbing, etc., to produce a variety of shaped utensils, with more than 400 varieties of colors.
Earlier, silverware could only be used by princes and nobles, and by the end of the Qing Dynasty, silverware began to be widely circulated on the market. In the last century, almost every household would have one or two pieces of silverware. But nowadays, old silverware is rare in the homes of residents. "Now people like to wear gold, jewelry and other jewelry, and in the past few years, it was popular to use silver to make rings, and many families took old silverware to make rings." Mr. Sun said.
Nowadays, old silverware is popular with collectors, and the price is also rising. "In fact, silverware is related to the era, and a look at the characteristics of silverware can deduce its age." Mr. Sun said that if the public wants to collect old silverware, they can see the purity of the silverware. Silver is a soft metal, in the casting process must add a certain amount of copper to increase the hardness, in general, the higher the purity of silver, the higher the value, the greater the collection value. In addition, it is also necessary to look at the recognition of silverware, silverware must be made of materials containing about 80% silver, and the best way to determine its authenticity is to look at the recognition. Generally speaking, after the Song Dynasty, silverware only has a sense of style, and the knowledge on silverware is mostly "grained silver", "foot silver" and other words.
"From the old silverware in these Shiyan areas, it can be seen that the silverware has a variety of shapes and beautiful styles, indicating that people pursued beauty at that time." Regardless of the family conditions, there will be some silverware in the home, which also shows an attitude towards life. Mr. Sun said.
Source: Shiyan Evening News
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