A Set of East Pearl Court Beads

In the Qing Dynasty, only the emperor, empress dowager, and empress could wear court beads made of East Pearls when attending important ceremonies, as both accessories and a symbol of dignity.

The uniqueness of such court beads lies in their primary materials — East Pearls. They are freshwater pearls from rivers in northeast China, the homeland of Qing rulers. As a symbol of the birthplace of the Qing royal family, the collection and use of such pearls were under strict supervision.

This set of court beads consists of 108 East Pearls, evenly separated into four sections by blue kyanite beads and orange coral beads, symbolizing the four seasons. The three short strings of beads, known as jinian, each featuring 10 pearls, symbolizing the three 10-day periods of a month. The pendant connected by a long belt with the beads is called "beiyun" (literally "back cloud") and placed behind the neck to prevent dislocation.

The design of court beads conveys ancient Chinese understanding of seasons, time, and nature. The dignified status of East Pearls bespeaks Chinese veneration for their ancestral roots.

東珠朝珠

在清代，東珠朝珠只有皇帝、皇太后和皇后在參加盛大典禮時才能佩戴，既是裝飾，又能彰顯身份。

東珠朝珠的特殊性體現在其主要材料東珠上。所謂東珠，是生長于清代統治者家鄉，即中國東北地區河流中的淡水珍珠。東珠成為清代統治者家族發源地的象征，采集和使用都受到極其嚴格的監管。

這盤東珠朝珠主體部分由108顆東珠串成，這些珍珠被藍色的藍晶石珠和橘紅色的珊瑚珠隔成4等份，象征一年的四季。朝珠上的3串珠串稱為“記念”，每串記念由10顆小珠子串成，象征一個月的上、中、下三旬，每旬10天。朝珠上由長帶子串聯的垂墜為背云，朝珠佩戴時背云垂在頸后，可以避免朝珠移轉錯位。

朝珠的設計飽含人們對節氣、時間及自然的理解。東珠朝珠地位尊貴，更突顯出中國人對祖先和家鄉的尊崇。