Gold finial for a court crown inlaid with Eastern pearls, Court string of Eastern pearls

Gold finial for a court crown inlaid with Eastern pearls

Court string of Eastern pearls

Eastern pearls came from freshwater clams in the rivers of northeastern China. Since this area witnessed the rise of the ruling Manchu clan of the Ch'ing dynasty, and the number of Eastern pearls was exceedingly rare, the Ch'ing imperial clan considered the Eastern pearl as the most precious of gems. The imperial clan had a monopoly on these pearls; everybody else was forbidden from possessing or using them.

In the official crown and clothing regulations of the Ch'ing dynasty, all high-ranking officials had to wear a pearl-topped hat. However, according to a record in Statutes of the Great Ch'ing, only the emperor, dowager empress, and empress could wear clothing decorated with the Eastern pearl. Symbolizing the supreme status of this pearl, no other people were allowed to use it.

In addition to the pearl-topped hat in the Ch'ing dynasty, some imperial crowns also were decorated with Eastern pearls--the greater the number, the higher the rank. This gold-strand finial for a court crown is topped by a single large pearl, with each of the lower three levels bearing an Eastern pearl. Each level is also decorated with four dragons and four Eastern pearls. The form and number of Eastern pearls seen here indicates that only someone of the highest rank could use this finial, meaning it was part of the imperial crown of the emperor himself.