Vintage Antique Chinese Export Gilt Sterling Silver Enamel Pendant Necklace Koi

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Vintage Antique Chinese Export Gilt Sterling Silver Enamel Pendant Necklace Koi:
$249.00

Vintage / Antique Art Deco Era Chinese Export Gilt / Gold Washed Sterling Silver Enamel Lucky Carp Koi Goldfish Pendant with Matching Enamel Chain

rare, impossible to find, intact Chinese export necklace and pendant set
100% authentic, mint condition
no enamel loss, fish\' articulation in perfect working condition
finest materials - gilt or gold-washed sterling silver
dragonfly clasp, marked silver
fish pendant is 1.75 inches long
necklace is 24 inches and features 16 decorative enamel stations / beads / connectors along length
FABULOUS warm carnelian orange and jade green colors complement each other beautifully
nothing else in this genre on right now even comes close - very best quality and condition - a book piece

Chinese lucky / auspicious / propitious symbols and charms often are based upon visual or spoken puns. One of the peculiarities of the Chinese language is that it has a very large number of written characters but a much smaller number of spoken sounds. As a result, many Chinese characters share the same pronunciation, i.e. are homonyms. The carp fish is a commonly seen visual pun because the Chinese character for carp (li 鲤) is pronounced the same as both the character (li 利) for \"profit\" and the character (li 力) for \"strength\" or \"power\". The carp is also a symbol for an abundance of children because it produces many eggs. A pair of carp symbolizes a harmonious marriage. A frequently seen image is of a carp swimming and leaping against the current of a river to reach the spawning grounds. This refers to the legend (liyutiaolongmen 鲤鱼跳龙门) that a carp which is able to leap over the mythical \"Dragon Gate\" will become a dragon. This is an allegory for the persistent effort needed to overcome obstacles. The carp used for medicine was the quest in a famous story of Wang Xiang and filial piety. There is a carp / dragon allegory involving the \"horns of Kuixing\" (God of Examinations) in many auspicious inscriptions.

Further, the Chinese character for fish (yu 鱼) is pronounced the same as the Chinese character for \"abundance\" or \"surplus\" (yu 余). The fish symbol is, therefore, frequently associated with other symbols and Chinese characters to symbolize the wish for \"more\" in the sense of \"more\" good luck, good fortune, long life and children. As an example, to express the wish for \"having more happiness year after year\" a charm may use the Chinese character 年 (nian) for year, and also include a picture of a fish, a lotus and a magpie. The fish (yu 鱼) represents \"more\" (yu 余). The character 莲 for lotus and the character 连 meaning \"in succession or one after another\", as in expressing year after year, are both pronounced lian. The magpie (xi que 喜鹊) is pronounced the same as happiness . So the fish, lotus, magpie and the Chinese character 年 (year) together would have the implied meaning of \"more\" \"happiness\" \"year after year\". Because of its reproductive abilities, the fish also represents fertility in marriage. Two fish, or a pair of fish (shuang yu 双鱼), represent happiness in marriage.

So, this necklace is not only rare and beautiful, it is also loaded with many symbolic layers of good luck, auspicious wishes, and abundance. You might say, therefore, that the more you invest in this necklace, the more you shall be blessed in return with health, wealth, love, happiness, and a long life!