Perhaps we are in agreement that two inch beads are better suited to home decor and one half to three quarter inch beads are more jewelry like.

It also seems to me that the Japanese have carried crafts to a higher level -crafts which were invented and exploited by the Chinese. I feel that the Japanese tend to be more artistic, usually offering refined and tight detail lavished upon one-of-a-kind examples.

Whereas, the Chinese tend to be prolific and repetitious, over producing their products until they seem ordinary, eventually undercutting competitors prices and driving down values. Their cloisonné industry is a clear example of this fact.

Among the difficulties studying ojime is that true "OJIME" (literally from the Japanese translation meaning "slide closure"...for the inro or tobacco pouch) are rarely seen. And, because fine ojime have always been extremely rare, dealers and collectors too often unwittingly use Chinese beads as substitutes. A glaring example can be seen on the cover of the book "Ojime, Magical Jewels of Japan", where a large coral bead from a Mandarin Court Necklace is part of the first image. Dealer's inventories -even museum collections- are littered with substitutes for ojime from many countries, especially China.

I have been asked by netsuke collectors: "Where are all the ojime? There are so many netsuke and so few ojime."...I imagine that there may have always been fewer good ojime than good netsuke. Investment in the netsuke and inro were prioritized because they are larger and have more fashion value. Excellent ojime were an accessory worn only by those few who had the vision, taste, & affluence to afford them...as it is today.

For most of us, by the time we can afford fine beads we are loosing our eyesight. At netsuke conventions, I always see wealthy, elderly collectors spending tens of thousands on netsuke and inro. Meanwhile, they cannot appreciate fine ojime to go along with the ensemble.