Chinese cicada, carved in crystal

Long ago in ancient China, young Prince Xin spent enormous amounts of time observing nature’s smallest residents – bugs. Rain or shine, from dawn to dusk he could be found squatting at the base of his favorite gingko tree, intently studying these little creatures. His counselors and teachers thought this was not the way a future emperor should spend all his time. One day, no amount of coaxing could pry Prince Xin away from the tree. He stared for hours at one particular bug as it clung to the bark. Finally, as daylight disappeared an incredible transformation took place before his eyes. The bug shed its covering, spread gossamer wings, and flew off into the night as a chorus of its kin began to sing. Young Prince Xin was so moved he wrote a poem about the event, immortalizing the cicada as one of China’s most important symbols.

In the East, cicadas sculpted in jade or precious crystal are symbolic of rebirth

This week’s New Arrival features a crystal cicada. It’s no wonder why this creature became so meaningful in ancient China. Cicadas spend most of their incredibly long lifespan living underground, emerging once every seventeen years to reproduce for another cycle. Young Xin was in the right place at the right time; however, the idea of immortalizing the cicada made perfect sense anytime. The cicada’s emergence from the soil became a metaphor for rebirth; its life span symbolic of longevity, even immortality. Ultimately, it became symbolic of the soul itself, a symbol so strong that jade cicadas were placed with the deceased to insure their rebirth. Observation inspired art, which led to myth, and finally, to an enduring ritual custom. In the meantime, a question was raised that even the Prince might not have foreseen: what comes first, art or observation?

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