New Treasures

A couple of beautiful objets d'art have come into my possession recently. The first is this lovely Japanese ceramic hibachi. It's about 70-80 years old, according to Fuji-san, my favorite antique dealer from Nishinomiya. I'd been hoping to procure one of these for a while now, so the other day I jumped on the train and went hibachi hunting. This one was hiding under a table, covered in dirt and grime. But something about it jumped out at me (the crane, perhaps?). So, Fuji-san and I dumped out all the ashes and gave it a quick scrub, to reveal this underneath! Isn't it a beauty? I think it'll make a great wine chiller. 

The second is this gorgeous bracelet made by my friend Gail. If ever I get a compliment on a piece of jewelry I'm wearing, this is almost always my reply: "Thank you. My friend Gail made it for me." She has given me some lovely pieces in the past, but nothing quite as sentimental as this one. In case you can't see the beads in the middle, they say DENIS. Thanks, g,  I love it!