This item is an antique or vintage Chinese carved white jade dress pin (or pendant) featuring a pagoda motif. It is a notable example of traditional Chinese jade carving, often valued for its intricate openwork and symbolic meaning. These pieces are frequently identified as Art Deco style or dating back to the Qing Dynasty (19th century). They were traditionally used as decorative dress pins, brooches, or pendants.
Design: The carving depicts a traditional pagoda shape, with temple figures - Fuk, Luk, and Shau I believe.
Symbolism: In Chinese culture, jade is believed to offer protection against misfortune. The specific symbols carved into the lower section include Wan (swastika) characters, which in this context are ancient Buddhist symbols representing good fortune, prosperity, and longevity.
Material: While it appears to be nephrite jade, but a physical inspection is often needed for definitive confirmation.
This piece was part of a collection we imported from Beijing Arts and Crafts Department in the early 1980s. This Chinese government office as well US customs certified the jade pieces we purchased as antique. At that time, we were importing many items from the Chinese National Arts and Crafts and selling wholesale to antique stores and interior designers. There were not many companies that were invited by the Chinese government to even purchase these types of items; one could purchase a few items from some of the government stores as a tourist, so this was a unique opportunity at that time . We purchased all of the jade pendants/medallions that they had. This is one of them. If you are interested in the entire collection, (several hundred pieces) or a larger lot, please inquire.