Lovely old bone implements used for Chinese tea service. Scoop is approx 7.5 inches ling and tongs are approx 7 inches long...

Early Japanese version of today's carpenters tool called a "chalk box". Carved from a block of wood, the well would hold cotton saturated with charcoal ash...this one has original wheel and string and shows that it has been well used......

Dr Fu Qing Zhu "published" his book on Women's Health Issues in 1816. Originally hand copied until the 1860's, publications after that were made using hand carved woodblocks. This particular copy appears to be from 1885. It has all 4 volumes and the original cloth binding cover. There are hand written prescriptions on the front of 2 volumes...

This small Mongolian hunters flint strike pouch still has flint stone inside. Also know as strike-a-light in American Indian cultures, this hunters folk art implement has bronze tooled fittings...

Several of the Southeast Asian hilltribes from the "Golden Triangle" region would practice tattooing as body art and religious ritual. This Burmese tattoo tool with the figure head was used to scratch the skin surface and apply the dye...

This old Chinese hand made carpenters tool would have been used as a snapline just as the western metal chalk box and line are used today. Such tools were often hand made and passed from father to son for generations. This particular one has a small antler for a plumbob...

The Tibetan leather flint pouch (aka strike a light) is properly known as a "mechag" (me = fire , chag = iron) or fire iron. This Tibetan flint pouch is decorated with ornate silver and bronze ornamentation with an inset coral bead. The pouch would have been secured to the wears belt with a leather strap. The size and ornateness of this pouch indicates that it would have been worn as costume decoration during festival...

This Japanese scholar's page turner consists of a thin layer of black ebony wood sandwiched between pale buttery colored ivory handles ....flawless...

Mate is a traditional South American infused drink prepared from steeping dried leaves of yerba mate. This traditional antique tea straw or more accurately, mate straw is called a Bombilla. Both the straw and its matching mate container were made by the Industria Mamboreta of Argentina. The mate container is a gourd decorated with a hammered silver bottom and a wide silver rim. The silver has a deeply etched floral design with highlighted gold tones at the center of the flowers...

This antique Chinese lock has a nicely patinated surface and is is working order. Measures 3.8 inches across...

22 inches long and a century of hard use but the tip is clean and sharp. I suspect a skilled carpenter could still use this old Chinese drill to build a cabinet or post and beam house. Personally, I am so thankful for electrical tools...

In old China, a carpenter's tools were also considered as an symbol of the quality of his craftsmanship. This antique carpenter's tool has a hand carved dragon with some of the original paint remaining in the crevasses. The plumb bob is made from a section of animal antler...

This Korean antique is a hand carved woodblock which would have been used to print a repeating decorative design pattern onto a textile. It is very old, and well worn with great patina....

This old Chinese container would have been used by a poor farmer or fisherman to carry his lunch, and tea while he was off working for the day. The main container has 2 sections and there is an additional rimmed tray which fits just inside below the tightly fitted lid. All 3 pieces are made from very tightly woven from 2 different types of plant materials.

Roughly 9 inches x 9 inches x 4 inches, with a richly patinated surface, this container is a wonderful ethnographic artifact from anot...

For women of indigenous cultures, sewing needles were often hard to come by and considered valuable tools. Commonly, among such groups, cases were specifically designed to protect and safeguard the sewing. This particular antique silver needle case is from the Chinese Miao ethnic minority group and would have been worn by the women as a decorative costume ornament during festival. ...