John N. Cohen

The first bottles we decided to buy that were not carved out of stone were made of glass. A huge range of glass bottles is to be found in all shapes and colours as well as a variety of manufacturing techniques.Much more research is needed in order...

Netsuke Japanese netsukes are superb little carvings, mostly made out of ivory or wood, as handling pieces, or toggles. So one good way of judging a good netsuke is to handle it – it should feel very comfortable and interesting, in the hand,...

When collecting Japanese netsuke most of the true antique netsuke, as against lots of modern copies, will normally have two connecting cord holes (known as himotoshi), but one will be much larger than the other!

Japanese Lacquer Inro and Boxes are such incredibly beautiful works of art, particularly, pieces from the late 18th and early 19th century. I consider many of them to rate very highly, amongst the finest treasures of the World!Without I hope being...

There are a variety of antique stones that will really float in water such as jade, quartz, chalcedony and hair crystal. If you find this comment hard to believe, then you obviously have not learned about collecting fine antique Chinese snuff...

There are some really incredible antique Chinese snuff bottles, mostly made of glass, that have been painted, but on the inside of the bottle! When one looks at the size of the hole it does seem to be a very difficult achievement, yet they have...

A phenomenal amount of interest in classic cars a few years ago, caused much to be published and prices to escalate beyond belief.This was at a time when an Aston Martin Zagato, racing car (that never won a race), sold for over a million and a half...

Before I describe these unique and beautiful works of art, exclusively Japanese, I feel that you need to know more about Lacquer, the extraordinary medium that was used. Only then will you fully appreciate these brilliant creations.For readers who...

The discovery of this technique was the result of an accident. The chance projection of a slide without having the screen in place resulted in a portrait appearing partly on some fabric and partly on the wallpaper.

Valuable and useful guidance for potential collectors of snuff bottles and all about the amazing use of flaws found in stones to create beautiful pictures on the surface of snuff bottles.Over a good many years we have created, though I say it...