A common accessory worn on the arms of immortal characters donning hanfu in TV dramas and movies is actually a gold-inlaid jade armlet, which is one of the favorite ornaments of noblewomen. A similar accessory appeared in the TV drama The Story of Pearl Girl, and it was explained that it represented the gold-inlaid jade craftsmanship that was popular in the Tang Dynasty. Many people must have thought in a flash: So this is what real gold-inlaid jade looks like!

I. The Gold-inlaid Jade Armlet Similar to the One in The Story of Pearl Girl

The prototype of this arm accessory is the gold-inlaid and precious stone-embedded jade armlet from the Tang Dynasty. It was unearthed from the Hejia Village hoard and is currently on display at the Shaanxi History Museum. The armlet is composed of three segments of arc-shaped white jade connected together. The two ends of each piece of jade are wrapped with gold-made beast-head-shaped hinges, which are riveted with two gold nails. It can be said to be extremely exquisite.

This type of bracelet is composed of three arc-shaped jade pieces of the same length, and its gold-inlaying craftsmanship is quite exquisite and ingenious. The three arc-shaped jade pieces are connected by beast-face-shaped gold hinges.

One of the hinges can be opened, making it convenient to put on and take off, and the concept is very ingenious. The technique of gold-inlaid jade is also one of China’s intangible cultural heritages. When it comes to the most famous gold-inlaid jade items, does anyone think of the gold-inlaid jade medals of the 2008 Olympics? Which one do you like the most? Only children make choices. I like them all.

II. Various Types of Armlets

Of course, the gold-inlaid jade armlet is not the only style. Generally speaking, an armlet is a kind of bracelet worn on the arm, also known as “arm support”, “arm bracelet”, or “wrapped arm gold”. Usually, it comes in a pair, and in some rare cases, it is worn individually. It can beautify the arm.

The origin of this word can be traced back even earlier. The “chuan” (钏, a kind of armlets ) accessory first appeared during the Warring States period and has existed in various dynasties. During the Tang and Song dynasties, it became extremely popular among noblewomen and developed into various forms and decorations. It was even one of the “three gold items” in engagement betrothal gifts.

The armlets, also known as an arm bangle, armlet, jumping-off (a historical term), or arm band, is one of the most important arm ornaments for ancient women. Shuowen Jiezi states: “Chuan is an armlet.” According to Zhengzitong·Jinbu, arm bracelets were originally “used by both men and women” in ancient times, but “now they are only worn as women’s ornaments.” The arm bracelets in the Tang Dynasty were particularly magnificent and beautiful.

The armlets is also a solemn item often worn by bodhisattva statues and is one of the eight solemnities in Esoteric Buddhist statues. Similar arm bracelets can also be seen on Indian Buddha statues. It is also an item used in religious practices. The ancients believed that engraving some mantras on the armlet could accumulate immeasurable merits. Therefore, they wore armlets in the hope of obtaining protection against evil and disasters and always enjoying peace and comfort.

Surely someone will ask how to wear this armlet. Thinking about the pain of putting on a tight ring, in fact, our ancestors were much smarter than what the stereotypes suggest. It can be seen more clearly from the cultural relic unearthed from Hejia Village in the Shaanxi History Museum that this armlet has a movable joint. By using a bolt to open the movable joint, it can be easily worn and taken off.

Armlets are made of various materials such as gold, silver, jade, and colored glaze. There are single-ring ones and multi-ring ones. Multi-ring armlets are more commonly made of metal and are also called “跳脱” (tiaotuo, a historical term). Some women were not allowed to expose their arms, so they would wear the armlets lower, on the wrist side. When worn on the wrist, it is called a “wrist ring” or “wrist bracelet”. Similar accessories can also be seen in the painting Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair with Flowers, which vividly depicts noblewomen in Tang Dynasty clothing, fully showing their love for such items.

III. Miscellaneous Talks about Armlets

The production technique of gold-inlaid jade generally goes through several processes, including jade carving, gold melting, inlaying jade with gold, and setting hard gold. The following picture shows the shooting of the production process of the gold-inlaid jade in the TV drama The Story of Pearl Girl. The crew really put a lot of effort into it!

People’s love for armlets can be seen as both a symbol of wealth and a source of “misfortune.” According to the Old Book of Tang, during the An Lushan Rebellion, after battles, there were acts of burning, killing, and looting. In order to quickly seize valuables, women wearing armlets were the first to suffer. It was recorded that “Soldiers would break the wrists of women who had gold and silver armlets in order to take them.” This shows how highly valuable these treasures were.

Whether gold armlets bring good luck or bad luck is really up to the judgment of later generations. People hoped to get protection from them, but they ended up bringing disaster instead. This illustrates that at different times, wealth has a dialectical nature with two sides. In prosperous times, wealth is an ornament, while in turbulent times, it turns into a source of disaster.

Summary

In fact, it’s not just Eastern women who love armlets; Western women also have a fondness for them. Snake-shaped jewelry was quite popular during the Victorian era. There are many such gold arm bracelets in antique oil paintings, and some are inlaid with cameos, which look extremely luxurious and exquisite.

Moreover, many girls in antique paintings are also adorned with snake-shaped jewelry. In my personal opinion, for some women with a bit of a curvy figure, wearing an armlet can not only keep the armlet in place but also showcase their wealth. Wearing Chinese traditional dress with a relatively high degree of skin exposure and matching it with a golden armlet is simply a perfect combination.