Carved Fruit Pit Hedaio Bead, with monkeys and foliage. Chinese. Pkg 1. b7-wo257

These rare hand carved Hedaio beads. The miniature folk art of fruit pit carving has been practiced in China for centuries. Made in the first half of 20th century, these are elaborate and finely carved beads with a scene, like a diorama. Depicted are stands of foliage with two monkeys peering through. These images are wrapped around the beads. These beads were purchased from an estate and we were extremely fortunate to find them. Carvings with this level of handwork are not being produced today. Each is individually hand carved and vary slightly in size and detail. Average size is 17-19x10-11mm. Each one is a small work of art, completely hand carved and hollowed out with meticulous detail. Sold individually.