Yintang Antique Chinese Silver Inquire

老银 Old silver, made by hand

Silver that was worn, blessed and handed down.

We find old Chinese silver — pendants, amulets, hair ornaments and children’s locks — and tell you what every fish, ingot and peach on it was meant to wish for.

See the collection Read the symbols
A pair of old Chinese silver figural pendants: a bearded fisherman holding a carp and a lady holding a gold ingot

藏品 The collection

One piece, one story

Every piece is one of a kind. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

The fisherman and the lady pendants side by side, each with a silver chain
Detail: the fisherman’s face and the carp in his hands
The fisherman and his carp
Detail: the lady holding a cross-hatched gold ingot
The lady and her ingot

No. 001

The Fisherman & the Lady

年年有余 · 招财进宝

A bearded fisherman cradles a carp. Beside him, a smiling lady holds a gold ingot. Together they spell out two of the oldest wishes in a Chinese home:

  • 年年有余 “Surplus, year after year.” The word for fish, yú, sounds just like the word for surplus.
  • 招财进宝 “May wealth come in.” The boat-shaped ingot, yuánbǎo, was the shape of silver money itself.
Material
Silver
Technique
Cast and hand-chased
Fittings
Hanging chain above, ring below
Size & weight
Sent with close-up photos on request
Price on request Ask about this piece

More pieces are being photographed now. Write to us and we’ll send them to you first.

纹样 Reading the symbols

Every motif is a wish

Chinese silversmiths rarely decorated for decoration’s sake. Many motifs are visual puns — the name of the thing sounds like a blessing.

  • 鱼

    Fish yú

    Sounds like 余, surplus. Plenty to spare, year after year.

  • 宝

    Ingot yuánbǎo

    The boat-shaped ingot of silver money. Wealth and prosperity.

  • 蝠

    Bat fú

    Sounds like 福, good fortune. Five bats together mean the five blessings.

  • 桃

    Peach táo

    The peach of the immortals. A wish for a long life.

  • 锁

    Lock suǒ

    Silver locks were hung on children to “lock in” a long and healthy life.

  • 莲

    Lotus lián

    Sounds like 连, unbroken. With a fish, it reads “abundance without end.”

工艺 The craft

Made with a hammer, a chisel and patience

  1. 壹

    Chasing 錾刻

    Patterns are driven into the silver with small chisels and a hammer, working from the front and the back until the figure stands out in relief.

  2. 贰

    Filigree 花丝

    Silver is drawn into wire finer than thread, then twisted, coiled and soldered into openwork lace.

  3. 叁

    Enamel 烧蓝

    Blue and green enamel is laid into the silver and fired, so the colour sits in the metal like glass.

购藏 How buying works

Slow, personal, and fully insured

  1. 01

    Inquire

    Tell us which piece you’re interested in.

  2. 02

    See it closely

    We send close-up photos, a short video, size and weight.

  3. 03

    Pay by invoice

    You receive a secure payment link for that one piece.

  4. 04

    Shipped insured

    Packed by hand and sent tracked to your door.

Inquire

Ask about a piece

Write to us in English. We reply with photos, the story of the piece, and a price.

Email us