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Details / Information for Thumb Ring

Thumb Ring

1736–95

China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong reign

(1736–95)
Medium
white jade
Measurements
Diameter: 3.3 cm (1 5/16 in.); Overall: 2.6 cm (1 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. John Lyon Collyer in memory of her mother, Mrs. G. M. G. Forman 1970.141
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

Jade rings were worn by men on the thumb of the right hand to assist with holding and pulling the string of the archer’s bow. However, thumb rings were also fashionable accessories for civil officials in the late Qing dynasty.
A white jade thumb ring features a thick, cylindrical band with a wide circular opening. Its outer wall curves outward, meeting flat circular rims at a distinct edge. The polished, pale white surface is semitranslucent and peppered with dark gray and brownish-yellow flecks. A small indentation marks the lower left edge. Light catches the upper curve, while a soft shadow grounds the ring against the matte gray surface.

Thumb Ring

1736–95

China, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong reign (1736–95)

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