Celestial-Crafted Liuli

Liuli is traditionally kiln-fired glass, made with a technique passed down for over a thousand years. The collection holds five bracelets. Four belong to the Ancient Wish series: 14 beads of 12mm with a hand-painted Tunjin beast charm, in dusky lavender, crystal ice, milky white and rosy frost. The fifth is the Incense Ash bracelet: liuli glass with incense ash infusion, in the five-element tones of red, blue, green, white and brown, with three Tunjin beast charms on elastic cord, in 10mm or 12mm beads. In Chinese five-element tradition the five colours stand for Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Liuli is glass: tone and translucency vary from bead to bead, and it should be kept from hard knocks.

Kiln-fired liuli glass

Liuli is coloured glass shaped by kiln casting, a technique used in China for over a thousand years. The piece is modelled, invested in a mould, and the glass is melted into it slowly over days; the mould is broken to release it. GrainMoon's liuli bracelets are lotus-shaped beads of 12mm, and an incense ash bracelet in five-element colours.

How to judge quality

By the evenness of the colour through the body of the bead, by how few bubbles sit near the surface, by the crispness of the moulded shape, and by the finish of the drill hole. Small internal bubbles and faint variations of tone are normal in kiln work and are not counted as faults.

Care

Glass. Keep it from knocks against stone, tile and other jewelry. Clean with a soft damp cloth and dry it. Do not use ultrasonic cleaners or hot water. Store each bracelet in its own pouch.

Tradition

In Chinese five-element tradition the five colours red, blue, green, white and brown stand for Fire, Water, Wood, Metal and Earth. The Tunjin beast charm on the Ancient Wish bracelets is a creature of Chinese folklore. Tradition, not a result.

Questions

Is liuli glass or stone?

Glass. It is kiln-cast coloured glass, and we call it glass on every page.

Why do two bracelets of the same colour differ slightly?

Because each bead is cast separately. Tone and translucency vary a little from bead to bead; that is the nature of the process.

Are the bubbles inside a fault?

No. Small bubbles are normal in kiln-cast glass.

How many beads are on a bracelet?

The Ancient Wish bracelets have 14 beads of 12mm. The incense ash bracelet comes in 10mm or 12mm.

What is the incense ash?

The source describes the beads as liuli glass with an incense ash infusion, from Beijing's Yonghe Temple. We repeat the source wording and hold no further detail.