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Anns Jewellery

                         
   
                                            

We specialize in customized hand made fine jewellery using jade gems & argawood. ETC

Eg bracelet, necklace, ring, earring & more. 

To enhance your temperament and prospects with Fine handcrafted

you deserve a better treasure.


Introduce you our Argawood Collection:

Contemporary Use

Agarwood continues to be an important part of spiritual and secular life for many cultures where it has been used traditionally. In contemporary Middle Eastern and Asian consumer markets, agarwood pieces with high resin content will be burnt directly without any processing or addition of other fragrances. Agarwood with lower concentration of resin is often blended with other fragrant ingredients to create composite incense products (Garcia 2015). Incense rituals (kōdō) are still practised widely in Japan today with blends being categorized by one of two key base ingredients: agarwood or sandalwood (Moeran 2009). In many Middle Eastern societies, agarwood is used as a sign of wealth and status particularly during religious rites and social occasions and to infuse personal and domestic items with its distinct fragrance (Antonopoulou et al. 2010; Jung 2011).

The oil extracted from agarwood remains an important fragrant product in traditional consumer countries and demand in emerging niche markets in “western” countries is increasing. Agarwood oil is one of the five most important ingredients in Chinese perfumery (Yunjun 2013), an important element of Arabian perfumes (Marian [Olfatory Rescue Service blog contributor] 2011) and becoming prominent in the modern western fragrance industry (Burn-Callander 2015; Osborne 2014). The oil is typically extracted from agarwood with low oil concentration by the process of distillation. It is often used as a prominent base note for perfumes owing to its rich aroma, low volatility, and extended longevity of fragrance (Lias et al. 2016).

An increasing global demand for agarwood over recent decades can be attributed partly to increasing population and wealth in several consumer countries (Wyn and Anak 2010). Increased demand has stimulated price rises for all agarwood products, making them even more exclusive. This has led to an increase in product adulteration and substitution (Hashim et al. 2016; Lias et al. 2016) and more intense and illegal harvesting of wild stands and depletion of important natural agarwood resources (Soehartono and Newton 2002; Wyn and Anak 2010; Yin et al. 2016; Zhang et al. 2008). According to the IUCN Red List Criteria, seven Aquilaria species are classified as vulnerable (A. banaensis P.H. Hô., A. beccariana Tiegh, A. cumingiana (Decne.) Ridl., A. hirta Ridl., A. malaccensis Lam., A. microcarpa Baill., and A. sinensis (Lour.) Spreng.) and face “a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future.” The species A. crassna and A. rostrata Ridl. were classified as being critically endangered with “an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.”

In recognition of the dwindling state of agarwood resources (Newton and Soehartono 2001), the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) included all producing agarwood species (not only Aquilaria genus) in Appendix II (CITES 2017). Species listed in Appendix II are “not necessarily . . .threatened with extinction [but] may become so unless their trade . . .is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival” (CITES 2017). The high prices paid for agarwood products have stimulated activity in the cultivation of the tree (Hoang Ha and Nghi 2011) and renewed interest in artificial stimulation of agarwood formation (Liu et al. 2013; Rasool and Mohamed 2016; Zhang et al. 2012). These initiatives are considered to potentially create alternative sources of agarwood and increase the availability of agarwood product in the marketplace (Nakashima et al. 2005; Persoon 2008).

Conclusions

Agarwood follows a long tradition of use in both spiritual and secular applications and has been synonymous with luxury, exclusivity, and intimacy. Recorded use of agarwood dates back to at least c 1400 B.C.E. and continued throughout human history including references in many seminal religious texts (Mahābhārata, Holy Bible, Jātaka, and several Hadith), treatise, poetry, pharmacopeia, floras, and trade texts. In the ancient epic Hindu text The Mahābhārata, agarwood was referenced as a welcome offering and also had a prominent place as a luxury item and status symbol. In the Holy Bible, the spiritual significance of agarwood was demonstrated when it was used with myrrh in the anointing of Jesus Christ following his crucifixion. The spiritual importance of agarwood in Buddhism was similarly demonstrated when it was used among other fragrant products in the cremation of Tathāgata (Buddha). Agarwood was also cited three times in the Holy Bible as a fragrant product for intimacy and seduction. In Islamic texts, agarwood was a conspicuous fragrance used in the ritual burning of incense, for spiritual purification, and as one of the rewards in Paradise. Agarwood mixed with camphor was the preferred scent of the Prophet Muḥammad. The citation of agarwood in many eminent religious texts confirms its reputation as an important product supporting spirituality.

The long historical use of agarwood has been associated with cultures where aromatics are deeply ingrained in cultural experience, such as the Middle East, India, China, and Japan. Among the many available plant-based aromatics, agarwood has always been considered to be among the most respected for its use as the basis of incense, perfumes, other fragrant products, and medical preparations. The medical use of agarwood has been recorded in Greek and Roman, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and European literature. It is not unusual to find agarwood included in the long lists of valuable items as offerings to important people or tribute to other nations. The popularity of the agarwood aroma has been consistent throughout history and continues to remain in high demand today for use in traditional and contemporary incense and perfumes.

Chinese Grades
Yoshnobu (1983) confirmed that during the Song Dynasty (960–1270 C.E.), the Chinese were eager to obtain spices and incense from abroad, and agarwood was the most preferred among incense woods. Ju-Kua (1911) published an interpretation and annotation of the Song Dynasty literary account “Record of Foreign Nations” (Chu-fan-chi) by Chau Ju-Kua. It contains detailed descriptions of China’s trading partners and commodities during this time, including insights into the sources and product qualities of agarwood (Table 3). Agarwood was acquired from a variety of east Asian sources, including northern (Kiau-chi) and southern (Chan-ch‘öng) Vietnam, Cambodia (Chön-la), Thailand (Töng-liu-meï), the Malaysian Peninsula (Tan-ma-ling, Ling-ya-ssï (kia), and Fo-lo-an), eastern Sumatra (San-fo-ts‘i), Java (Shö-p‘o), Borneo (P‘o-ni), and Hainan (Hai-nan) as well as being traded with the Arabs (Ta-shï). The aromatic qualities of agarwood traded during the Song Dynasty were strongly influenced by type (possibly variety or species) (Table 3), regional source (geographic location), biological source (branch, trunk, roots), and maturity (“fresh” vs. “ripe”). The maturity of agarwood products was not necessarily related to the age or size of the tree, but to whether the agarwood was harvested from a living (fresh—shöng) or decayed (ripe—shóu) branch or tree. Freshly harvested agarwood was described as having a lasting fragrance and superior to the often “singed” aroma of ripe agarwood. The ripe agarwood has parallels to two grades in current Chinese trade described as being formed in broken branches or from a tree that has been buried and decomposed under aerobic (tu chen) or anaerobic/swampy (shui chen) conditions (Mohamed and Lee 2016). While the aromatic qualities were of greatest importance during the Song Dynasty, the shape of a given piece of agarwood was also classified according to whether it resembled a rhinoceros horn (si-kio), swallow (yen-k‘ou), “aconite” (possibly Aconitum species) roots (fu-tzï), and a shuttle (possibly the device used in weaving to carry the weft) (so).
Five types of agarwood were described (and two others cited: P‘ong-lai [north Vietnam and Hainan], Chö-ku-pan- [Hainan]), which approximates a combination of different species, product type, and degrees of maturation. Agarwood originating from the more northerly origins (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Hainan) were considered superior from those from Indonesia, which were used regularly for medicinal rather than aromatic purposes (Ju-Kua 1911).
Of all the types described, Ch‘ön-hiang was recognized as being superior in density (with a high resin content and sinks in water) and fragrance to all other agarwoods and sourced from the heartwood and branch nodes. Tsién-hiang was similar in fragrance, more fibrous, less dense, and considered of inferior quality to Ch‘ön-hiang. Su- and Chan-hiang are two closely related products, with the former regarded as superior incense, and the qualities of both often influenced by maturity (i.e., fresh or ripe). Huang-shóu-hiang is described as ripe (shóu) yellow (huang) agarwood, which can sometimes be hollow and typically root material. Shöng-hiang describes the “fresh” and possibly underdeveloped agarwood extracted from young branches. The reason that it may be considered immature is that the quality of the agarwood from branches was considered to improve with the thickness of the bark over the agarwood: low-quality shöng-hiang (with a bark thickness of ~ 7.5 mm), moderate-quality Tsién-hiang (~ 12 mm bark), and high-quality Ch‘ön-hiang (~ 25 mm bark).
In Li Shizhen’s seminal Compendium of Materia Medica (Ben Cao Gang Mu), a simplified system of grading agarwood was described based on its density (sinking properties in water). Three grades were defined: shui chen (total sinking), zhan xiang (partial sinking), and huang shu xiang (does not sink [floats]), with the depth of sinking positively related to the concentration of resin (wood density) contained within the agarwood (Mohamed and Lee 2016; Shizhen 2003).
Japan
The use of aromatics in Japan began during the 6th century C.E. and, as with China, coincided with the arrival of Buddhism. The first written record of the use of fragrant wood is found in the Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan) when Emperor Kimmei (549–571 C.E.) commissioned the carving of two Buddhas in 553 C.E. from camphor wood that was found floating in the sea by one of his noble attendants. The first Japanese written record of agarwood was also reported in the Nihongi when, in 595 C.E., a large piece of agarwood drifted ashore on the island of Awaji. The islanders noticed in wonder that it produced a strong fragrance when used as firewood, and later presented an unburnt piece to Empress Suiko (Aston 1896). Early mixtures of aromatics burned in Japanese Buddhist ceremonies included jinkoh (the best incense: agarwood), sandalwood, cloves, cinnamon, and camphor. When Emperor Tenji (671 C.E.) fell ill, during his final year, he sent a tribute to the Buddha of Hōkō-ji (Kyoto) of a range of valuable items including agarwood and sandalwood (Aston 1896).
A recurrent story about incense use in Japan refers to a highly revered and large piece of agarwood known as Ranjatai, which was a gift from the China Court to the Emperor Shômu (724–748 C.E.) (Bedini 1963; Brinkley 1902; McKenna and Hughes 2014). Small pieces have been removed from Ranjatai over time but only during prosperous occasions or for special tribute (Bedini 1994). Ranjatai continues to be located at the Shōsōin repository in Nara and is exhibited periodically. During the Nara period (710–794 C.E.), the burning of incense became a secular activity (Gatten 1977). Kneaded incense blends imported from T’ang, China (618–907 C.E.), contained aloeswood, sugar, and plum meat and were highly prized in Japan (Aston 1896; Schafer 1963).
Incense ceremonies (kōdō) began to emerge during the Heian period (794 to 1185 C.E.) and were one of the emblematic practices of aristocrats where aromatics were at the center of focus of the ceremony. In the ceremony, participants discriminated and judged the qualities of different aromatics, including local products pine and cedar and exotics such as agarwood, sandalwood, cinnamon, and cloves (Brinkley 1902; Morita 1992; Morris 1984). During the period 833–850 C.E., Japanese aristocrats ceased importing incense from China and began the manufacture (and blending) of their own incenses. Prince Kaya formulated the famous Six Scents (described in the Kunshū Ruishō c 12th century C.E.); all the Six Scents are compounded of the same six elements in different ratios: aloes, cloves, seashells, amber, sandalwood, and musk. A characteristic seventh ingredient defined the final scent, for example, if frankincense was added, the scent created was known as the Black incense (Gatten 1977).
Japanese Grades
The popularity of agarwood in Japan increased in the late 16th century C.E., and connoisseurs appointed by Shoguns Ahsikaga Yoshimasa defined the fragrances of six recognized types of jinkoh (Table 4). Some elements/components of this system are still used today. At this time, the six agarwood types were both rare and costly and mainly traded to serve as gifts to distinguished individuals (Bedini 1994). To this day, agarwood is held as sacred in the Kareki Shrine located in the northwestern shore of Awajishima (Whelan 2014).

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