Black Xipi Lacquer Mother-of-Pearl Drop Earrings

$1,480.00

Handcrafted to order. Leaves our bench by Thursday, 8 Oct

Complimentary shipping on orders over 300.0 USD

Made by hand — final sale. Cancel within 24 hours, before it ships. Shipping & cancellations

A round drop of glossy black xipi lacquer, patterned with swirls of gold and small ringed pieces of iridescent mother-of-pearl, hangs from a rectangular gold-tone stud with a rough, nugget-like texture. A small gold bead and cap finish the base of each sphere.

Layers of coloured natural lacquer are built up by hand over a sandalwood core and polished back to reveal the xipi pattern, with mother-of-pearl set into the surface. Because each piece is made by hand, colour and pattern vary a little from pair to pair, and photographs are for reference.

Photographs are for reference only. Each piece is made by hand, so its colour and pattern will differ a little from the one shown.

The story
Xipi lacquer is made by building up many layers of coloured natural lacquer and polishing them back, so the buried layers surface as a marbled pattern; on this pair the ground is black, swirled with gold and set with small ringed pieces of mother-of-pearl (luodian). The lacquer is laid over a sandalwood core, the mother-of-pearl inlaid by hand and each sphere polished until the pattern appears, so every one is unique. The spheres hang from textured rectangular gold-tone studs, dark and glossy against the skin.
Materials
14k gold findings
Xipi lacquer
Natural lacquer (dàqī)
Sandalwood core
Mother-of-pearl inlay (luodian)
Size: Approx. 1 × 3 cm
Weight: Approx. 5.4 g
Technique
Xipi lacquer: layers of coloured natural lacquer are built up over a sandalwood core, then polished back to reveal a marbled pattern. Fragments of mother-of-pearl are inlaid into the lacquer surface (luodian).
Care
Keep dry and away from perfume, lotion and heat. Do not leave in strong sunlight. Wipe with a soft dry cloth and store alone in its pouch.
Shipping & cancellations

Complimentary shipping on orders over $300. Ready-to-ship pieces leave the bench within 3 working days; pieces handcrafted to order take up to two weeks. The date for this piece is shown above.

Cancel within 24 hours of ordering, as long as it has not shipped. Each piece is made by hand, so all sales are final: no returns or exchanges for a change of mind. Full details

  • Pair of black xipi lacquer sphere earrings with gold swirls and mother-of-pearl inlay, hanging from textured rectangular gold studs, on an ivory background
  • Black Xipi lacquer bead with mother-of-pearl flecks hanging from a hammered gold stud, worn with a linen shirt