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Chinese Puzzle Balls
The Chinese puzzle ball could generally be categorized as a good luck charm because it is decorated with symbolic figures and it is the shape of the eternal circle. The multi-layered sphere, which is an exquisite example of carving craftsmanship dating back to ancient China, is also sometimes called, and rightfully so, a "mystery ball."
The layers of the ball can symbolize different things. For example, four layers represent the four compass directions or the four basic elements: air, water, earth and fire. The carvings on the surface also represent or symbolize different things.
Two of the most common figures presented on the balls are the dragon and the phoenix, which correspond to our yin (female) and yang (male) characteristics. The dragon represents an emperor, or the husband, and the phoenix represents an empress or the wife. A puzzle ball decorated with these figures symbolizes a happy marriage blessed with success and prosperity.
According to the principles of feng shui, in order to best profit from the positive influence of the ball, it should be placed on the southwestern side of your bedroom or living room. |
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How Are They Made?
The sphere is turned on a lathe then conical holes are drilled towards
the center. The maker has a set of "L" shaped tools the one with the
longest upright has the shortest cutter and the one with the shortest
upright has the longest cutter. Starting with the longest tool he
lowers it to the narrow bottom of each hole in turn and rotates it to
cut the innermost ball free. Then he gets the second tool which does
not reach so far down the hole but can cut a wider arc and separates
the second ball. He continues working from the innermost to outermost
shell. For obvious reasons, usually only the outermost balls are
elaborately carved.
The outer layer is twice as thick as the inner layers. This is because
the two outer layers are fused together. The reason for this is that
the outer layer with the dueling dragons is carved so deeply that if it
were free moving it would be too fragile and shatter, so it has to be
fused to the 2nd layer to make it strong enough to avoid breaking. The
very inner ball at the center is also counted as a layer making up the
total number of layers. Therefore counting the center ball and the
other moveable layers will make up the total layers of the ball minus
two layers, those remaining two layers are the ones fused together
making up the outer shell.
For example - an 18 layer ball will have 16 moveable layers (including
the center ball) plus the 2 fused outer layers. |
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What Is Hong Kong Ivory?
Hong Kong Ivory does not come from elephants or any other endangered species. Hong Kong Ivory is made from powdered ox bone that is mixed with synthetic resins that are specially formulated to give the look, feel and weight of genuine ivory. None of the Chinese Puzzle Balls we offer are made with illegal ivory, only Hong Kong Ivory! |
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