Frederick can no doubt speak to whether these court necklace style pieces are authentic or reconstructions. They list the provenance on a couple of them as "Manchukuo." Really? the Japanese World War II puppet state? Property that PuYi sold off to stay afloat? Something hinky? A misunderstanding?

Bead buyers who have shopped for new beads should be able to recognize just how new most of these beads are. And designers in macrame should be able to recognize the newness of the knotting.

The wonderful carved bits can be cheaply copied in China. And I would have to examine them closely to feel certain they are old. Sometimes, I enjoy seeing the carved parts anyway.

Just Fred

Mostly Chinese winning these bids?

Hello all,
I am considered somewhat of an expert in these and i have been suspicious of such items from roseapartments.
The court necklaces and bracelets they sell are not right and i can elaborate if a response is received and anyone whats to discuss it further.
They sell high due to their certificates and the content within these certificates is often inconsistent and nonsensical.
Mainly Chinese buyers are purchasing these items with little knowledge.
Also they have purchased new beads through ebay, just look at their feedback.
Apparently the have sold millions through sotherbys new york, as they say, although unconfirmed.
They do have some nice things but the only nice necklace they sold on ebay was over a year ago.
Im interested in anybodys opinions and thoughts on this as i would like to solve the mystery of the shady beads.