This pair of Greenish yellow jade ornaments called jue has undergone discoloration, giving it a dark brown color. They are cylindrical with an opening on one side and a hole in the center with a diameter of about one centimeter. Not only is the shape of these cylindrical jue special, it’s also extremely rare for them to be unearthed in a pair. They were excavated from the Liuligejia tomb in Huixian in Henan Province. Currently, scholars speculate that the person buried was a vassal of the state of Jin in the late Spring and Autumn period.

If you look carefully at the carvings on the top, you can see several hornless dragon head patterns, decorations which were common in the late Spring and Autumn period. For the patterns, a relief technique was used to carve out the dragon heads and scales on the curving noses; also, an intaglio method was used to show lolling tongues with an oblique feather pattern. This type of multilayered engraving demonstrates the outstanding skills and aesthetics of artisans at the time.

But what were jue used for? In prehistoric archeological sites, jue are usually found near the heads or ears of people. As such, it's speculated they were ear ornaments. According to ancient records, jue were mainly used as ear ornaments worn by both men and women without distinguishing genders.

This type of cylindrical jue was mainly popular in the Spring and Autumn period. Aside from its use as an ornament, it was also used to pluck strings and draw bows. In addition, jue was used in ancient times by envoys as proof when transmitting orders or deploying troops. From the Warring States period to the Han dynasty, new tiger tallies gradually replaced jue as proof of authorization, and the practice of using jue as ornaments also gradually declined.

Returning to today, from the design of ancient jue to today’s earrings, how do you think the techniques and materials have changed?