Store Hours
9am - 5pm PST Monday - Friday
Item Location
San Francisco, CA
Collectors Jade and Tian-Tsui Hair Pin: Museum of Jewelry
Known as 點翠 / 点翠 to the Chinese, Tian-Tsui translates to "dotting with kingfishers". Its a traditional practice in which tiny kingfisher feathers were cut to size and incorporated into sterling silver and silver gilt jewelry to create a dazzling fluorescent blue finish. The technique was lost with the Chinese cultural revolution in the 1940's. This hair pin was made by hand in the early 20th century - approximately 1920. It shows a moth made of jade stone. This pin is a one of a kind antique. It measures over 6" tall and is made from silver base metal with gold plating and feather accents decorated by granulation and articulating springs.
Our Story
56 years ago, Shashi was an antique obsessed desk agent for Eastern Airlines. While on vacation in South America he fell in love with some pre-columbian jewelry and brought it home with him. Two trips later he decided to focus on collecting full time. Thus was The Museum of Jewelry most humbly born.
Artifacts & Antiques since 1964
In the early years, Shashi focused predominantly on importing. He made a living by searching the world over for antiquities. Our collections include 4000 year old mummy beads (shown), tian-tsui, enamel, articulating fish and more. It's a sizable assortment of artifacts & antiques.
Made by Hand
Every piece in our collection is an original work of art. Each antique was once handmade by a master; shaped, detailed and embellished using age-old techniques as have goldsmiths and lapidaries through the ages.
Vintage, Antiques & Artifacts
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$84.95Vintage Shashi
Vintage 1970s Shashi Papyrus Earrings -
$104.95Mummy Beads
4,000 Year Old Turquoise Mummy Beads -
$104.95Vintage Laurel
Vintage 1970s Laurel Miniture Crane Earrings -
$4,999.95Tian-Tsui
Collectors Antique Tian-Tsui and Jade Hair Pin
At the Museum of Jewelry, we keep the hand-crafted arts alive. Every museum creation is an original work of art. Each piece of jewelry is handmade by master artisans from historical designs - each earring shaped, detailed and embellished using the same age-old techniques as have goldsmiths and lapidaries through the ages. Every piece of jewelry features natural, ethically sourced gemstones. As with all hand-made jewelry, our pieces and stones may have slight variations and natural inclusions. We hope you enjoy your journey through history here at the Museum of Jewelry.
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Store Hours
9am - 5pm PST Monday - Friday -
Item Location
San Francisco, CA