Lot 87
An Agate Carved Belthook, 19th Century
Note:
It is rare for a belthook to be carved out of a single piece of agate, due to its relative rarity in Qing dynasty and its hardness in comparison to nephrite jade. Agate has a Mohs scale of 6.5 to 7, which is higher than nephrite. The large size of this agate belthook entailed the use of a large of high quality agate by a skilled craftsman.