Because Both Your YIN And YANG Should Be As Strong As The Core

Some friends who have been following my episodes (thank you very much!), have paid very close attention to my hands. I thought it was because I have beautiful hands, but it turns out that the attention was totally and just on the Lotus collections, on my hands. Oh well. So much so that if I left my Lotus Heaven and Earth jadeite rings to charge at that mega Lotus crystal incense pot, they would question where are my Lotus Rings.

Likewise for my 108 agarwood beads. Sometime I leave it to charge on a crystal or the Lotus Imperial White Inkstone.

So don't worry when you don't see them with me, they are just somewhere, recharging.

It is actually pretty important to charge and recharge these 2 Lotus collections -- your Lotus Rings, and your 108 agarwood beads. Once in a while, at least. Because they both share a common characteristic, which makes them very charge-worthy.

Let's start with something that we are more familiar with. Here's what we know about the Lotus Heaven and Earth jadeite ring:

The first Lotus Heaven and Earth jadeite ring was created by Master Yun Long Zi in 2006. In the very same year that the first Lotus gallery was founded. Also by Master Yun.

Who owned the first Lotus Heaven and Earth jadeite ring? Master Yun himself of course. It's a classy one. Dark jadeite cabochon on dark nephrite earth ring. 18k yellow gold. He is still wearing this very first Lotus Ring now.

There was only one type, or one generation, of Lotus Heaven and Earth jadeite ring back then. This whole favorite of all times started with this first generation, the Meeting of Heaven and Earth. Simply put, heavenly jadeite cabochon (the top piece), combines with the earthly jade ring (the bottom round ring). What's lacking? Human will. So it will be heaven, earth and human's willpower to accommodate and combine the forces of heaven and earth. That's why you must put on your Lotus Heaven and Earth jadeite ring.

We also know the evolution of the Lotus Ring. The latest generation, the 3rd generation, was created in 2012. And we all know what it is: the Lotus Double Dragon jadeite ring.

And we know the top jadeite piece, the jadeite cabochon, is the main determinant of power and price. Simply because it is not a random piece of jadeite from random parts. It is harvested from the core, or center, of a raw jadeite boulder. It is the oldest portion. It is where the rest of the jadeite expands from, leverages on, and grows. Some people have cast their doubts on this fact with their superficial knowledge. Yes, it would be impossible for most jadeite dealers to determine where their jadeite pieces should be carved from; most of them just buy from middlemen and charge you a premium. But for anyone who has the slightest understanding about how the Lotus works, you would know that we start from the very source. We dictate where any piece of jadeite should be carved from. And our jadeite cabochons that are used for the Lotus Heaven and Earth jadeite rings are only harvested from the core of the jadeite boulder.

So what about your Lotus 108 agarwood beads? Is it because the string of beads also has 3 generations?

We have talked much about the power of the 108 agarwood beads in many episodes, and the mountains of articles. Please go take a look and revise -- I spent a great deal of time to understand and so divulge the secrets of 108 beads, I bet it is going to worth your time. And so there is this very point about your Lotus 108 agarwood beads: the beads are also harvested from the "core".

For agarwood, I don't exactly mean the center portion when I am talking about the "core". I am actually talking about the densest part of the raw agarwood. The resin content is so dense that it turns out to be like a chuck of stone. That's the core.

So this is the ironic issue: when agarwood is good, aged, and has denser resin content with less fiber, it actually gets softer. Earth agarwood 土沉 belongs to this category. But it comes to a stage when the resin is so, so, so dense that the part of agarwood becomes stone-like. Sometimes, when it is so serious and intense, when it is so aged, this stone-like agarwood sinks, and it becomes sinking agarwood 水沉.

Regardless, at every category of raw agarwood, be it the Daojia 倒架 or the sinking, the core -- the densest portion -- is harvested to be carved as beads.

And I am not talking about just one bead. I am talking about all 108 of them. Every single of the 108 beads comes from the core of its rare source. You can even say that a string of Lotus 108 agarwood beads is the accumulation of the best parts of a range of different raw agarwood. Their best parts, are chosen for the making of 108 beads. Your Lotus 108 agarwood beads is the elite consortium. 

So while your Lotus Heaven and Earth jadeite ring is one piece chosen from one core, your Lotus 108 agarwood beads is 108 pieces chosen from 108 cores...

Question: Lotus Ring, or 108 agarwood beads?

Answer: both. Because both your yin and yang should be as strong as the core.

-- Kan Ying Loong, Executive Director