Featured what the funk is this stone ?, carving or not ?

thanks for the info mate, skeptical viewpoints welcome as well ! and appreciate what you are saying

i guess it would come down to finding out exactly what the stone was made out of

ill have a look online to see if theres any forums on old chinese relic type stuff to see what they think

 

a couple of pics of other ancient chinese jade pieces, similar in colour and form, not shape. notice the layering on the second one

by the way, if its just a random stone, ill totally accept that, im just enjoying the process !!!!!

 

If it is impossible to tell whether it was carved to represent an owl, or a cicada, or a scarab...then maybe it is just imagination that makes it look like any of these. I don't see it as looking anything like any of the carved items linked above.
It looks more to me like a natural mineral in matrix, like carnelian, or brown jade; similar to this.

 

God that's weird looking

Looks like the bottom of someone's shoe after the've just trodden on a jellyfish !

 

To me it really looks like an agatized insect fossil. Those little bumps up top are likely eyes. The patterns on the black areas are very insect like. That the worn black areas that disappear INTO the stone indicate something fossilized in stone matrix.You can clearly see six or more legs on the underside, but more importantly, the specific way it has worn through the layers of different colors indicates that it isn't a carving, but instead, different minerals replacing the insect's exoskeleton and it's contents as millions of years passed. I has possibly been worn by being in a river or the surf, or possibly even by being carried in someone's pocket or pouch for many years or generations..it could be a fossil and artifact from an ancient culture.

 

To me it really looks like an agatized insect fossil. Those little bumps up top are likely eyes. The patterns on the black areas are very insect like. That the worn black areas that disappear INTO the stone indicate something fossilized in stone matrix.You can clearly see six or more legs on the underside, but more importantly, the specific way it has worn through the layers of different colors indicates that it isn't a carving, but instead, different minerals replacing the insect's exoskeleton and it's contents as millions of years passed. I has possibly been worn by being in a river or the surf, or possibly even by being carried in someone's pocket or pouch for many years or generations..it could be a fossil and artifact from an ancient culture.

 

I only just got another alert for this thread.

The so-called Neolithic carving in the Etsy listing is 100% bogus, and not even a copy of an old one. Ever since the discovery of Hongshan jades the Chinese have been flooding the market with fakes, mostly 'Hongshan' carvings that only have a very faint resemblance with the real ones.
Not many real Hongshan jades were made, and most of the ones excavated are in museums of course. They still look near perfect (jade!), not blobby.
The Chinese authorities are known for very harsh punishment for looters of national treasure, I believe they even risk a death penalty, so it just isn't worth it.

We have had some fake Hongshan jades on the forum, btw.

 

Welcome @Firefly .

 

A cicada I think. The Chinese use the cicada as an amulet for good luck and to symbolize a pure life and lofty ideals. It's also associated with rebirth (like "born again") they come from the dirt, climb a tree trunk, shed their shell (https://bugguide.net/node/view/201876) and climb higher up the trees. Also associated with Buddhism (https://journeytothewestresearch.wordpress.com/2018/05/26/tripitaka-and-the-golden-cicada/)
Chinese scholars have a special appreciation for stones and tree branches, etc., that resemble auspicious animals. I think this is a natural stone that may (or not) have been touched up a bit here and there to bring out the shape of the cicada it already resembled.
Some examples of cicadas:


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Some highly stylized:


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Sorry to say but it just looks like Natural Hematite that has been worn smooth, is it magnetic?

 

I LOVE these mystery threads !!! .. Joy.

 

hi mate, no not magnetic

 

Hematite is not magnetic unless it has magnetite in it..... https://geology.com/minerals/hematite.shtml