click to enlarge

Chicken-Blood stone is one of the most prized ornamental materials in China. The stone gets its name for its bright red color, resembling fresh chicken blood. The stone has eight basic colors, which blend or combine in different layers: red, black, white, yellow, green, blue, gray, and purple. It is primarily used in carvings and seals.

Chicken blood stone is a fine-grained mixture of clay and quartz, with varying amounts of red cinnabar. Since both the clay and cinnabar are very soft, it has cannot be worn in jewelry and is reserved for ornamental objects. Besides, since cinnabar contains mercury sulfide, which is highly toxic. Care also needs to be used when storing the material, as cinnabar tends to darken when exposed to sunlight. It is the bright red of the cinnabar that gives this material it distinct appearance and any darkening will lower its value.

click to enlarge

Chicken blood stone is found only in Changhua County (Linan district, Zhejiang Province) in China and Balin County in Inner Mongolia. However, the stones extracted from the former region are considered more precious and valuable for their higher quality and vibrant color. Balin stones contain less cinnabar and are looser and softer in texture and appearance.

According to records, the first excavation occurred in the early Ming Dynasty, six hundred years ago. The excavator who found the chicken blood stone reported it and sent it to the emperor. During imperial times, all chicken blood stone had to be sent to the Imperial House, so commoners had no chance of ever seeing it in their lifetime. The stone was a national treasure exclusively owned by the imperial family.

The emperor would give the stones to high-ranking officials on special occasions, and only officials above a certain rank were allowed to have it. The stones were also used as accessories on the hats of those officials to show honor. Thus, the stone became a symbol of power.

Kerrie Slade is a beadwork artist living and working in Mansfield, England and was featured in our newsletter. Kerrie has had her work published in over 30 international books and magazines but now prefers to sell more detailed patterns from her website. Recently Kerrie had the opportunity to travel to the very first Bead Art Fair in Hamburg, Germany where she taught classes and sold her fabulous beadwork kits.

Kerrie wrote this article about her first teaching experience at the Bead Art Fair during the weekend of August 19-21 for Beading Daily Blog and was kind enough to permit us to reprint the article. Kerrie has plans to teach throughout Europe and the US in the near future.

click to see photos

Kerrie says, "It's Monday, the day after the first Bead Art Fair in Hamburg, Germany. As I write this, I am sitting in the sunshine at a cafe on the banks of the River Elbe, drinking tea, eating delicious Apfelkuchen and wondering if the previous two days really happened or whether I dreamt them.

Ever since I first received an invitation to teach at the fair (which was over a year ago) I knew it was a not-to-be-missed opportunity and it had an exciting feeling of 'firsts' about it. This was going to be the first fair of its kind in Germany, I had never taught beadwork before and it would also be the first time that many of the international beaders, teachers, designers and exhibitors would get to meet in person.

Although I was incredibly nervous, I knew I wanted to be part of this event and so I spent much of the following year designing my class project, writing instructions, preparing kits and gaining some teaching experience.

click to see photos

From the minute we arrived at the hotel, familiar faces began to appear and myself and my long suffering husband, Simon, were warmly welcomed into the large group of people who regularly travel all over the world to exhibit and teach at shows as we busily set up our stands ready for the show to open the following morning.

The first day of the fair arrived and we strolled to the venue down tree-lined avenues in dappled sunshine, Simon pointing out interesting architecture and me half listening and half wondering if I had forgotten anything! With everything in place, the doors opened and the hall filled with people keen to view and buy the huge range of beads, lampwork, supplies, kits and finished beadwork on offer.

My two days disappeared in a whirl. Half of my time was spent teaching my eager students in a beautifully bright and airy classroom with the windows flung wide open, watching as leaves and petals grew from busy fingers. The rest of my time was spent talking to beaming beaders in fragments of various languages with lots of gestures, handshakes, hugs and smiles - knowing that despite any immediate difficulties, we all spoke the one common language of "bead".

So, if you ever get the opportunity to attend the Bead Art Fair in Hamburg, my advice would be to grab it with both hands!"

Photos from the Bead Fair
 
Email: mail@kerrieslade.co.uk
 
Website: kerrieslade.co.uk
 
Blog: kerrieslade.blogspot.com
 
Article by Kerrie Slade on her art

click to enlarge

Perlen Poesie, Number 10 is coming out on September 10! In that issue:

The magazine is published in Germany by Beaders Best Verlag Company, you can subscribe it. If you live in the USA, you can directly or via Internet buy single issues of the magazine at the Beads by Blanche bead shop.

Subscribe to Perlen Poesie magazine
 
Buy Perlen Poesie magazine in the USA

If you don't see the newsletter properly formatted please click here: August Issue
 
If you want to read and see the previous issues please click here: Newsletter Archive