Folium Nelumbinis

Double-Layer Hand-Carved White Clay Earrings with Liquid Gold Detailing

After the rain, a lotus leaf holds one perfect drop of water at its center — and the whole sky is caught in it.

Folium Nelumbinis is built in two layers — a bottom leaf glazed to a soft sheen, and a top leaf left raw and unglazed, its surface carved with fine radial lines that radiate outward like the veins of a lotus leaf after the rain. The contrast between the two layers is deliberate: the lower leaf catches light, the upper leaf absorbs it; one speaks, the other listens. Both are hand-cut and hand-carved from white clay — no mold, no shortcut, only a blade and a steady hand tracing line after line from center to edge.

At the heart of each leaf, a tiny gold sphere sits — a bead of liquid gold, like dew resting on a lotus leaf at dawn. The edges of both layers are traced with the same gold, giving the form its boundary and its luminous frame. The ear fitting is soft silicone with a medical-grade stainless steel post — secure, comfortable, and gentle on sensitive skin.

The lotus leaf is a symbol of purity and renewal in Chinese culture — rising from muddy water, holding rain without being touched by it. This earring carries that spirit in miniature: two leaves, one drop, everything still.

Key Features

• Double-layer construction — Two hand-carved leaf forms layered together; bottom glazed with a soft sheen, top unglazed with a matte, tactile surface
• Hand-carved radial veining — Fine lines incised from center to edge, mimicking lotus leaf veins; each line carved by hand
• Liquid gold dew drop — A tiny gold sphere at the center of each leaf, like a drop of morning dew
• Liquid gold edge detailing — Both layers traced with liquid gold along the edges; low-temperature baked (700–850°C)
• Glazed + unglazed contrast — The interplay of sheen and matte on a single piece creates visual depth and tactile richness
• Soft silicone + medical steel post — Comfortable, secure, and gentle on sensitive ears

Materials & Specifications

Technique Heritage

• Hand Cutting and Carving  — Each leaf is cut from a slab of white clay and then incised by hand with fine radial lines — a process that demands a steady hand and a sensitive eye, as each line must flow naturally from center to edge without hesitation. The carving is done while the clay is still leather-hard, firm enough to hold a line but soft enough to yield to the blade. No two leaves share the exact same rhythm of veins.
• Double-Layer Construction  — Two separately formed leaf pieces are layered and joined, creating a single earring with two voices. The bottom leaf, glazed and slightly luminous, provides a quiet backdrop of reflected light. The top leaf, unglazed and carved, speaks in texture and shadow. Together, they create a depth that a single layer could never achieve — the way a real lotus leaf holds both the sheen of water and the matte of its own surface.
• Liquid Gold Detailing  — Liquid gold is hand-painted onto the already-fired glaze surface and baked at 700–850°C. During baking, the organic resin in the gold liquid burns away, leaving a thin metallic film bonded to the surface — the same finishing technique found on Meissen, Hermès tableware, and Royal Copenhagen.
• Lotus Leaf Symbolism  — The lotus leaf occupies a special place in Chinese cultural imagination. It rises from murky water yet remains untouched by it — "出淤泥而不染", as the Song Dynasty poet Zhou Dunyi wrote. A lotus leaf after rain, with a single bead of water trembling at its center, is one of the most beloved images in Chinese poetry and painting: a moment of perfect stillness, where the whole sky is contained in one drop. The tiny gold sphere at the heart of this earring carries that image — small, round, luminous, and full of the world.

Care

• Avoid direct contact with perfume, lotion, or chemicals
• The unglazed top layer is porous; handle with dry, clean hands
• Store separately to prevent scratching
• Remove before swimming or bathing
• Clean gently with a soft dry cloth

Part of the TaoTianXia collection — entirely handcrafted in Jingdezhen, each piece one of a kind. Our ceramic artistry has been chosen for diplomatic gifting, trusted by over 70 Fortune Global 500 companies, and featured at New York's Grand Central Terminal.