[Tidbits] A Bat...A Peach...A Jade Plaque...and more

A Bat…A Peach…A Jade Plaque…and more.

I’ll give you bats…I’ll give you peaches…and then I’ll give you
the jade plaque.

For the most part…it goes like this. A rat-like creature flits
through the air…wings spread…gliding in under a clouded
sky…transforming–Bela Lugosi fashion–into a vampire…ready to
suck the blood out of an unsuspecting and hapless victim. In eastern
myth he’s a melancholy and restless soul. He’s the “bird of the
Devil”. He’s the incarnation of Satan. He’s associated with Black
Magic and Witchcraft. He represents impurity. He implies unhappy
chaos. He represents obscurity and darkness. And yet…in
Africa…our little flying mammal represents wisdom…and among the
Amerindians…he is valued as a harbinger of rain. In southeastern
Australia…for those of you who have an insatiable thirst–you
should pardon the expression–for more…the Wotjobaluk people
believed that the life of Ng�n�g�n�t (the bat)…is the life of man
…and if one kills a bat…the life of a man is then shortened. Of
course… if you let Dracula live…man’s life is then also shortened.
Sometimes there’s no winning…is there? However my friends…it’s in
China…the land of Jade… that the bat achieves its ultimate
stature. It is in China that a group of five bats represent the five
following blessings of man. Health…Wealth…Long life… Peace…and
Happiness. For purposes of this Tidbits…I will refer to the Bat of
Happiness. That said…on to the Peach.

Ah the Peach. Summer fruit of incredible delight. An expression of
admiration. She’s a peach…isn’t she? But there’s more lads and
laddies. In China…the peach is considered the female genital
symbol. It is the ambrosia of life. It gave gods their immortality. It
is akin…in lore…to the apple of Eden. Hsi Wang Mu-- the Great
Mother–ruled the magic peach garden where gods were reborn. Chinese
wizards used peach twigs to make magic wands. This business–by the
way-- of the peach representing sexual organs confused–at
times–westerners who thought the peach was the apricot. Not an
irrational mix-up…when you considered that the world ‘abricot’ was
once a European word for Vulva. Well…all that may be well and good.
And you may all say…okay…let’s have the jewelry stuff now fella.
We got enough of bats and peaches to last a while. To you I
say…let’s go!

I have a graphic of a pendant of a rectangular antique imperial jade
plaque of exceptional color and translucency. It is suspended off a
hexagonal calibr� ruby and diamond support dangling from a delicate
diamond necklace. It is the engraving on the plaque itself that is
rather telling. The frame is carved to depict coiled serpents and cats
and birds. And the center panel…the center panel…is etched to
depict the Bat of Happiness and the Peach of Long Life. For those who
might in other circumstances–had you not been avid readers of
Tidbits–have asked why the Bat of Happiness and why the Peach of Long
Life…you now know…and you now can tell your friends.

One last thing. I tried to make this graphic clear…but the
photograph I’m working with is not that clear. So…what you don’t see
clearly…you have to imagine a bit.

For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the table menu till you get to the box that says
Tidbits…and inside the box where it says Tidbit Graphics…click on
the link that says: Jade…where you will see a graphic of our
plaque.

And there ya have it. That’s it for this week folks. Catch you all next
week. Benjamin Mark

TYLER-ADAM CORP.–Jewelry Manufacturers
Tel: 1-800-20-TYLER
E-Mail to: webmaster@tyler-adam.com