Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) imperial artisans carved the 12 months of the year into a breathtaking set of pendants, using a single piece of top-quality Hetian white jade.
Shining with a soft, luminous glow, the central pendant features a blossom core that can rotate, with the names of the 12 musical pitches inscribed in seal script on the back. Surrounding it are 12 petal-shaped pendants, each carved with the month's symbolic flower on the front and engraved with matching inscriptions on the back. Together, they combine jade carving, painting, calligraphy, and musical theory into one wearable miniature art collection. Now, this extraordinary set is housed in the Palace Museum.