"Beads Gone Wild.......the continuous saga of online misrepresentations....."

http://beadcollector.net/cgi-bin/anyboard.cgi?fvp=/openforum/&cmd=get&cG=5303930303&zu=3530393030&v=2&gV=0&p=

"eBay misrepresentation scale....."

http://beadcollector.net/cgi-bin/anyboard.cgi?fvp=/openforum/&cmd=get&cG=4343037303&zu=3434303730&v=2&gV=0&p=

The ebay cloisonné bead is 20th c. Chinese; and therefore it is not an antique Japanese ojime. It is 20th century. And it would not make a good ojime because the aperture has a cutting edge rather than a smooth one for non abrasion of an inro cord.

Many ojime sellers, even in Japan, persist in calling these Ojime. This happens so often, I have had to ask myself whether they may have been adapted for functional usage by the Japanese. My conclusion is: It is NOT an adaptation.

Besides having an abrasive perforation, these openwork cloisonné beads were made too late to be worn when kimonos required them. It was during the Meiji Era when sumptuary laws forced the Japanese to wear traditional kimonos. Kimonos have no pockets; so, the netsuke, ojime, inro ensemble served as a purse or pocket substitute as late as the Meiji. Since the close of the Meiji Era, kimonos have normally been worn for formal occasions or as a uniform for a specific function.

Of course, the Chinese are creating copies of netsuke, ojime and inro in ivory, wood and plastic. But the Chinese openwork cloisonné was never intended to be used as a substitute for an ojime.

And I’m sure you have published similar comments before, but it’s hard to absorb everything I read on BCN with complete accuracy.

Bead has been relisted:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Edo-era-vintage-antique-Fine-Netsuke-Shippou-ojime-dama-Dragon/323229616529?hash=item4b41fc8991:g:G1MAAOSw9M5a2JL0

Seller is still leaning toward the Edo period, but added to the description that the bead could be Chinese, AND lowered the price to $299.83 from $489.99 - so an improvement thanks to Fred.

Beadiste, in her comprehensive blog series on cloisonné in general and beads in particular, on the October 2014 webpage linked below, discusses Chinese cloisonné dragon beads, including their approximate dates of manufacture, and shows a similar c. 1930s lamp finial - see top three photo set below. The referenced ebay bead is also shown below. Though the finial example is not openworked or champleve, the overall design motif and certain dragon details appear similar, BWDIK. Beadiste may want to confirm that (?)

Beadiste blog page: http://www.beadiste.com/2014/10/puzzling-evidence-chinese-4-toed-dragon.html