There are many ways to create traditional Japanese kusudama (paper flower balls).

This is very beautiful decoration interior, Christmas tree and a wonderful gift to friends and family. They sell a lot of very beautiful papers now, you can also pick up good beads.

What do you need?

Kusudama (Japanese literally "medicine ball") is a paper model that is usually (but not always) formed by stitching together the ends of many identical pyramidal modules (usually stylized flowers folded from a square sheet of paper) to form a spherical body. Alternatively, the individual components can be glued together (for example, the kusudama in the bottom photo is completely glued, not stitched). Sometimes, as a decoration, a tassel is attached from below.

Translated from Japanese means "medicinal herb". The word itself is a combination of two Japanese words: kusuri (medicine) and tama (shar). A set of certain medicinal herbs was placed in a special ball made by the origami method, which was hung over the patient's bed. This herb ball was also called kusudama. By the way, this method of treatment has survived in Japan to this day.

The art of kusudama comes from an ancient Japanese tradition, when kusudama was used for incense and a mixture of dried petals; perhaps these were the first true bouquets of flowers or herbs. The word itself is a combination of the two Japanese words kusuri (medicine) and tama (shar). Nowadays, kusudams are usually used for decoration or as gifts.

Kusudama is an important part of origami, in particular as the predecessor to modular origami. She is often confused with modular origami which is not true, since the elements that make up the kusudama are sewn or glued, and not nested, as modular origami suggests.

However, kusudama is still considered a form of origami, although the purity advocates of origami look askance at the stitching or gluing technique characteristic of kusudama. At the same time, others acknowledge that paper cutting was often used in early traditional Japanese origami (see thousand paper cranes) and gluing and do justice to kusudama as an important folding object among other origami models.

Modern origami masters such as Tomoko Fuse have created new kusudam designs that are completely assembled without cutting, glue or thread (except for hanging).

There are a lot of options for kusudami, many are also published on the Russian-speaking Internet, you can look for master classes and make such balls for your holiday and just for the mood. Some of the diagrams below are in the gallery.

There are books on kusudama, including in Russian.

Japan is an amazing country that very carefully honors and preserves its customs and traditions. Japanese handicrafts just as varied and amazing. In this post, I will review the main handicraft arts, whose homeland is Japan - amigurumi, kanzashi, temari, mizuhiki, osie, kinusaiga, terimen, furoshiki, kumihimo, sashiko. You've probably heard about some of the types, maybe you yourself began to create in this technique, some are not so popular outside of Japan itself. A distinctive feature of Japanese needlework is accuracy, patience and perseverance, although ... most likely these features can be attributed to world needlework).

AMIGURUMI - Japanese knitted toys

Amigurumi- translated from Japanese - knitted-wrapped - Japanese needlework, which has become popular in our country. Its essence consists in crocheting or knitting small animals and humanoid creatures. Usually amigurumi is knitted in a spiral, the hook or knitting needles are chosen smaller than the yarn requires, so that the knitting is without gaps and holes through which the padding material can look out. And once amigurumi toy requires us to knit density, then you need to start knitting in a circle so that there are no holes left, for this a method was invented called "" ( detailed photo master class at the link). We wrote about it in more detail in the article earlier on the site.

Japanese kanzashi - fabric flowers

Kanzashi - we also got acquainted with this type of Japanese needlework. I will only add that more and more people began to engage in handmade kanzashi making, and it is not surprising how amazingly beautiful flowers are obtained from ordinary satin ribbons. Of course, it is worth mentioning that real kanzashi are made of silk fabric and fastened with rice glue. A satin ribbons and stitching them is already an adaptation to our realities. Kanzashi is akin to origami technology.

Temari - the ancient Japanese art of embroidery balls

Temari- the ancient Japanese art of embroidery balls, which has won many fans around the world. True, Temari's homeland is China; this handicraft was brought to Japan about 600 years ago. Initially, temari was made for children using the remains of old kimonos, with the invention of rubber, braiding balls began to be considered arts and crafts. as a gift symbolizes friendship and devotion, there is also a belief that they bring good luck and happiness. In Japan, a professional temari is a person who has passed 4 levels of skill, for this you need to weave 150 temari balls and study for about 6 years!

Mizuhiki - the Japanese art of tying cords

Mizuhiki Another thriving type of Japanese applied art, similar in technology to macrame weaving, but more graceful and miniature.

So, what is mizuhiki - this art of tying various knots from cords, as a result of which patterns of stunning beauty are created, goes back to the 18th century.

The area of ​​application is also varied - postcards, letters, hairstyles, handbags, gift wrapping. By the way, it was thanks to the gift wrapping that mizuhiki became widespread. After all, gifts are relied on for every event in a person's life. There is such an enormous number of knots and compositions in mizuhiki that not even every Japanese knows them all by heart, along with this there are the most common basic knots that are used for congratulations on the birth of a child, for a wedding, commemoration, birthday or university admission.

Osie - the Japanese art of creating three-dimensional paintings from fabric and cardboard

Osie- Japanese handmade to create volumetric paintings made of cardboard and fabric or paper using applique technology. This type of needlework is very popular in Japan, in Russia it has not yet received much distribution, although it is very easy to learn how to create pictures using the axie technique. To create axie-paintings, Japanese paper washi (based on fibers of mulberry, gampi, mitsumata and a number of other plants) are needed, fabrics, cardboard, batting, glue, scissors.

The use of Japanese materials - fabrics and paper - is fundamental in this art form, because washi paper, for example, resembles fabric in its properties, and, therefore, is stronger and more flexible than usual. As for the fabric, the fabric from which the kimono is sewn is used. Of course, the Japanese craftswomen did not buy specially new fabric for the ose, they gave their old kimonos new life using it when creating pictures. Traditionally, the Osie-paintings depicted geisha, samurai, children in national costumes, scenes from fairy tales.

If you decide to comprehend the basics of this art I can offer you, though it is in Japanese, but you can figure it out with photographs.

Before starting work, you need to choose a drawing for the picture, such that all its elements have a finished clear appearance, all lines should be closed, as in a children's coloring. In short, the technology for creating the axle is as follows: each cardboard element of the picture is wrapped in cloth, and batting is previously glued to the cardboard. Due to the batting, the picture is given volume.

Japanese handicraft kinusaiga - silk paintings

Kinusaiga combined several techniques at once: woodcarving, patchwork, applique, mosaic. To create a picture of kinusayga, you first need to make a sketch on paper, then transfer it to a wooden plank. Depressions are made on the board along the contour of the drawing, a kind of groove. After that, small shreds are cut from the old silk kimono, which then fill in the cut grooves on the board. As a result, the resulting picture of kinusaiga is striking in its beauty and realism.

Furoshiki - the Japanese art of packaging

Furoshiki - the Japanese art of folding fabric, the history of its appearance and the main methods of packaging in this technique, we considered in the article. It is beautiful, profitable and convenient to use this technique for packaging. And in the Japanese computer market new trend- notebooks packed in Furoshiki style. Agree, very original!

Teriman - miniature fabric sculpture

Teriman(Chirimen craft) - an old Japanese handicraft that originated in the era of late Japanese feudalism. The essence of this arts and crafts is the creation of toy figures from fabric, mainly the embodiment of animals and plants. It's clean female look needlework, Japanese men are not supposed to do it. In the 17th century, one of the directions of the “teriman” was the manufacture of decorative bags, into which fragrant substances were inserted, they were carried with them (like perfume) or used to flavor fresh linen (a kind of Sachet). Currently, terimen figurines are used as decorative elements in the interior of the house. You don't need any special training to create Terimen figurines, just have cloth, scissors and a lot of patience.

Kumihimo - weaving laces

Kumihimo- one of the most ancient types of weaving laces, the first mentions date back to 50. Translated from Japanese kumi - folding, himo - threads (folding threads). Laces were used both for functional purposes - fastening samurai weapons, tying armor on horses, tying heavy objects, and for decorative purposes - tying a kimono (obi) belt, wrapping gifts. Kumihimo laces are weaved mainly on looms, there are two types of them, takadai and marudai, when using the first, flat cords are obtained, on the second - round.

Sashiko - the Japanese art of embroidery

Sashiko- simple and sophisticated Japanese handicraft, somewhat similar to patchwork. Sashiko Is a simple yet sophisticated hand embroidery. Translated from Japanese, the word "sashiko" means "small puncture", which fully characterizes the stitching technique. Initially, sashiko patterns were used for quilting and warming clothes, poor women folded worn fabric in several layers and connected it using the sashiko technique, thus making one warm quilted jacket... Nowadays, sashiko is widely used for decorative purposes.

Basic principles of sashiko:

• The contrast of fabric and thread - the traditional color of the fabric is dark blue, indigo, the color of the thread is white, a combination of black and white flowers... Now, of course, the color palette is not so strictly adhered to.
• The stitches should never intersect at the intersections of the ornament, there should be a distance between them.
• The stitches should be the same size, the distance between them should also not be uneven.

Kusudama - the art of making balls

Kusudama- translated from Japanese kusuri (medicine) and tama (ball), literally "medicine ball". The art of kusudama comes from ancient Japanese traditions, when kusudama was used for incense and a mixture of dried petals. In general, kusudama is paper ball, consisting of a large number modules folded from a square sheet of paper (symbolizing flowers).

Individual modules can be connected to each other using glue or threads. Sometimes a tassel is attached to the bottom of the kusudama. The result is very original bouquet colors that can be gifted or decorated. Kusudama balls are considered the predecessors of modular origami. Kusudama is sometimes confused with modular origami, since its elements are not nested into each other, but sewn or glued together.

Japan is an amazing country, which very carefully honors and preserves its customs and traditions. Japanese handicrafts just as varied and amazing. In this article, the main handicraft arts whose homeland is Japan - amigurumi, kanzashi, temari, mizuhiki, osie, kinusaiga, terimen, furoshiki, kumihimo, sashiko... You've probably heard about some of the types, maybe you yourself began to create in this technique, some are not so popular outside of Japan itself. A distinctive feature of Japanese needlework is accuracy, patience and perseverance, although ... most likely these features can be attributed to world needlework).

Amigurumi - Japanese knitted toys

Japanese kanzashi - fabric flowers

Temari - the ancient Japanese art of embroidery balls

In the photo, temari balls (Author of the embroidery: Kondakova Larisa Aleksandrovna)

- the ancient Japanese art of embroidery balls, which has won many fans around the world. True, Temari's homeland is China; this handicraft was brought to Japan about 600 years ago. Initially temari made for children using the remains of the old, with the invention of rubber, the braiding of balls began to be considered a decorative and applied art. Temari as a gift symbolizes friendship and devotion, there is also a belief that they bring good luck and happiness. In Japan, a professional temari is a person who has passed 4 levels of skill, for this you need to weave 150 temari balls and study for about 6 years!

Another thriving type of Japanese applied art, similar in technology to macrame weaving, but more graceful and miniature.

So what is it mizuhiki- this art of tying various knots from cords, as a result of which patterns of stunning beauty are created, goes back to the 18th century.

The area of ​​application is also varied - postcards, letters, hairstyles, handbags, gift wrapping. By the way, thanks to the gift wrapping mizuhiki are widespread. After all, gifts are relied on for every event in a person's life. There is such an enormous number of knots and compositions in mizuhiki that not even every Japanese knows them all by heart, along with this there are the most common basic knots that are used for congratulations on the birth of a child, for a wedding, commemoration, birthday or university admission.

- japanese handmade to create volumetric pictures from cardboard and fabric or paper using applique technology. This type of needlework is very popular in Japan, in Russia it has not yet received much distribution, although learning how to create paintings in the Axie technique very simple. To create axie-paintings, Japanese paper washi (based on fibers of mulberry, gampi, mitsumata and a number of other plants) are needed, fabrics, cardboard, batting, glue, scissors.

The use of Japanese materials - fabrics and paper - is fundamental in this art form, because washi paper, for example, resembles fabric in its properties, and, therefore, is stronger and more flexible than usual. As for the fabric, here the fabric from which they are sewn is used. Of course, the Japanese craftswomen did not buy specially new fabric for the Osie, they gave their old kimonos a new life, using it to create paintings. Traditionally, the Osie-paintings depicted children in national costumes, scenes from fairy tales.

Before starting work, you need to choose a drawing for the picture, such that all its elements have a finished clear appearance, all lines should be closed, as in a children's coloring. In short, the technology for creating the axle is as follows: each cardboard element of the picture is wrapped in cloth, and batting is previously glued to the cardboard. Due to the batting, the picture is given volume.

combined several techniques at once: woodcarving, patchwork, applique, mosaic. To create a picture of kinusayga, you first need to make a sketch on paper, then transfer it to a wooden plank. Depressions are made on the board along the contour of the drawing, a kind of groove. After that, small shreds are cut from the old silk kimono, which then fill in the cut grooves on the board. As a result, the resulting picture of kinusaiga is striking in its beauty and realism.

- the japanese art of folding fabric, the history of the appearance and the main methods of packaging in this technique can be read. It is beautiful, profitable and convenient to use this technique for packaging. And on the Japanese market of computer technology, a new trend - laptops packed in the style Furoshiki... Agree, very original!

(Chirimen craft) - old japanese handicraft, which originated in the era of late Japanese feudalism. The essence of this arts and crafts is the creation of toy figures from fabric, mainly the embodiment of animals and plants. This is a purely female type of needlework, Japanese men are not supposed to do it. In the 17th century, one of the directions of the “teriman” was the manufacture of decorative bags, into which fragrant substances were inserted, they were carried with them (like perfume) or used to flavor fresh linen (a kind of Sachet). Currently figurines terimen used for as decorative elements in the interior of the house. You don't need any special training to create Terimen figurines, just have cloth, scissors and a lot of patience.

- one of the most ancient types of weaving laces, the first mentions date back to 50. Translated from Japanese kumi - folding, himo - threads (folding threads). Laces were used both in functional - fastening samurai weapons, tying armor on horses, bundling heavy objects, and for decorative purposes - tying a kimono (obi) belt, wrapping gifts. Weave kumihimo laces mainly on machine tools, there are two types of them, takadai and marudai, when using the first, flat cords are obtained, on the second, round ones.

- simple and sophisticated japanese handicraft, something similar to a patchwork. Sashiko Is a simple yet sophisticated hand embroidery. Translated from Japanese, the word "sashiko" means "small puncture", which fully characterizes the stitching technique. The literal translation from the Japanese word "sashiko" means "great luck, happiness." This ancient embroidery technique owes its appearance to ... poverty villagers Japan. Unable to replace old worn clothes with new ones (fabric was very expensive in those days), they came up with a way to "restore" it with the help of embroidery. Initially, sashiko patterns were used for quilting and warming clothes, poor women folded worn fabric in several layers and connected it using the sashiko technique, thus creating one warm quilted jacket. Nowadays, sashiko is widely used for decorative purposes. Traditionally, patterns were embroidered on fabrics of dark, mostly blue, tones with white thread. It was believed that clothing embroidered with symbolic drawings protects from evil spirits.

Basic principles of sashiko:
The contrast of fabric and thread - the traditional color of the fabric is dark blue, indigo, the color of the thread is white, a combination of black and white was often used. Now, of course, the color palette is not so strictly adhered to.
The stitches should never intersect at the intersections of the ornament, there should be a distance between them.
The stitches should be the same size, the distance between them should also not be uneven.

For this type of embroidery, a special needle is used (like a needle for sewing machine). The desired pattern is applied to the fabric and then a needle with a threaded thread is inserted, a small loop should remain from the inside out. This embroidery is quick to work, the difficulty lies only in the ability to apply strokes and mix colors. Whole pictures are embroidered in this way, the main thing is to choose threads to get a realistic drawing. Threads are used for work, not quite ordinary - this is a special "cord", which unravels during work and due to this, a very beautiful and unusual stitch is obtained.

- translated from Japanese kusuri (medicine) and tama (ball), literally "medicine ball". The art of kusudama comes from ancient Japanese traditions, when kusudams were used for incense and a mixture of dried petals. In general, kusudama is a paper ball consisting of a large number of modules folded from a square sheet of paper (symbolizing flowers).

Japanese handmade:

axle

The hand-made world knows a lot of handicraft arts, whose homeland is Japan: origami, amigurumi, kanzashi, temari, mizuhiki ... And this is just a small part of handicraft techniques that generally exist in Japan, and many of them are popular only within their own country, but otherwise unfortunately, the world knows little about them. As, for example, about the axie - an applicative technique for creating volumetric paintings from cardboard and fabric (or paper), a technique that appeared in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1867), and is still popular among Japanese handmakers.

Mastering the axie is not difficult at all. All that is required for this: Japanese paper or Japanese fabrics, cardboard, soft non-woven material such as batting, glue, scissors, as well as your accuracy and your patience - the creation of Axis paintings does not stand in haste.

In Japan, even a child who has just mastered scissors can create an axie-picture. There is everything for this - the necessary paper and the necessary fabrics, and even ready-made kits "do it yourself your own ose" are available in a large assortment. In Russia, those wishing to learn the basics of the Japanese Axis will have a little tough, but all the problems are quite solvable: the necessary paper or fabrics can be ordered through specialized online stores, join the corresponding collective purchase, or ask your friends from Japan to send everything you need.

Japanese materials are really fundamental when working with this technique, and I will try to explain why. Initially, the Osie used trimmings of fabrics from which the kimono was sewn. The craftswomen simply did not raise their hands to throw them away, for this reason the art of drawing pictures from pieces of cardboard wrapped in pieces of fabric arose. When paper was brought to Japan from China, the sie craftsmen began to consider it as an alternative to expensive fabrics. but chinese paper it was not suitable for the axle - it was fragile, easily torn in places of bending and was not plastic. It was only after the Chinese invention was perfected by the Japanese that it really became an alternative (and today the predominant) material for the axie. We are talking about Japanese washi paper - paper based not on wood pulp, but on the fibers of kozo (mulberry tree), gampi, mitsumata and a number of other plants. Thanks to the fibers, Japanese paper is much stronger and more flexible than traditional paper, it resembles fabric more than other types of paper in properties, and therefore found its application in the axis. As for the rest of the materials - cardboard, batting and glue - they, of course, do not have to be exclusively Japanese in origin.

So, how does the creation of three-dimensional paintings in the Axie technique take place? To begin with, a drawing is selected for the picture. It is important that this should be a drawing, all the elements of which have a clear finished look, closed, as in children's coloring books. Look at examples of ready-made Axis paintings to better understand the essence of the drawings. By the way, traditionally, small children in national costumes, geisha, samurai, and fairy-tale scenes were traditionally depicted in the osei paintings. Today, these topics are not fundamental, because the main thing here is technology.

The work requires two copies of one drawing: one copy will form the basis of the picture, the second will be transferred to cardboard with a soft pad glued to it and cut into its constituent parts. After - each piece of cardboard is pasted over with paper or cloth and glued to the base drawing in the appropriate place. It is very important: a soft pad (a non-woven material, such as foam rubber, uniform in thickness) must necessarily be between the cardboard and the paper, when gluing it is it that gives the volumetric effect, for which the Axie paintings are famous. Below is a master class on making an axie painting, see for yourself - it's pretty simple. This master class was taken from one of the Japanese sites, unfortunately, I could not find better photographs to illustrate the process of creating a picture using the ose technique.

A thin layer of foam rubber is glued onto a dense, but not too thick sheet of cardboard. It adheres well to PVA glue, it is important to apply the glue to the entire surface of the cardboard, not missing even small areas. One copy of the drawing should be printed on thick paper.

We need the second copy of the drawing in a mirror form. It is glued to the side of the cardboard with foam rubber where the cardboard is located, and cut into parts. To make it easier to cut out parts, you can use the following trick: transfer all the parts to the tracing paper with a marker, but in such a way that these parts are at some distance from each other. Then turn the tracing paper itself and put it on cardboard. Place something on the back of the tracing paper so tightly that the outline of the marker remains on the cardboard.

Thus, it is much easier to cut the picture into details, even the smallest ones. Make sure the part numbering is preserved.

Each piece of cardboard must be duplicated on washi paper. But this must be done with allowances of about half a centimeter on each side. These allowances will need to be carefully tucked up and glued to the back of the cardboard pieces. The process of gluing paper to cardboard is shown in more detail below.

For each detail, you need to decide in advance on the color and pattern of the paper. For example, floral paper was taken for this piece of clothing. Along the contour of the part on the washi paper, the same part was outlined, but it was cut out with a half-centimeter allowance. The cardboard part must be placed with the foam side on the seamy side of the paper, falling into the contour, and the allowances must be bent to reverse side cardboard and glue.

It will be much easier to do this if the allowances are cut in advance in several places, especially where it will be difficult for the paper to bend evenly - in corners, on rounded lines, etc. Cut the paper at right angles to the contour of the part.

When all the details are pasted over, you need to stick them on the first copy of the drawing, the one printed on thick paper. In order not to get confused where which part needs to be glued (especially for small parts, the location of which can be difficult to determine at first glance), just numbering helps. You need to glue the parts as tightly as possible to each other. Having glued all the details to the base copy, it should be cut along the contour and the whole figure should be glued to the background of the picture.

That, in fact, is all. With experience comes the skill that allows you to create truly jewelry works, but it is better to start, of course, with the simplest drawings. In the axie technique, you can create large pictures, or you can include it only as an element when decorating scrapbooking albums, when creating postcards, panels, etc.

Let's get back to the nuances. The experience of one girl who shared the results of her experiment on the English-speaking forum Craftster.org shows how critical the use of foam rubber is. She ignored the use of a soft pad between the cardboard and the finishing paper, which resulted in a completely different result. However, see for yourself:

Today in the Russian sale there is such material as cardboard with foam rubber. It can be of two types, but only one is suitable for the axle - binding cardboard with foam rubber without a top paper layer. Such cardboard is used for the production of paperbacks for books, notebooks, diaries, menus, etc. products, you've probably seen it. The thickness of foam rubber on such cardboard is different, I cannot say for sure which thickness is optimal - everything will depend on how chubby you want to get the picture in the end.

However, this cardboard has one big drawback - it is not sold at retail in small packages, only in bulk at printing companies. So, most likely, you will have to glue the layers of cardboard and soft material yourself, as shown in the master class.

I will be pleased if the story about the ose technique inspires you to want to try it in practice. Perhaps for someone it will become the author's handwriting, but for someone it will simply expand the horizons of creativity. In any case, I wish you pleasant minutes and beautiful pictures!

http://web-japan.org/trends01/article/011005sci_r.html
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/polishing-a-turd-minimyth/

Yes ... the Japanese, they are such that they will not undertake, they turn everything into absolute perfection with a taste of incomprehensibility. All these things of theirs - samurai, kimonos, sakura, sushi and rolls, anime, haiku and other rock gardens are simply mesmerizing, as is the skill of finding harmony in everything, honed to a state of art.

Let's try to solve the riddle of the incomprehensible Japanese soul. Let's start with the traditional children's fun of Japanese kids - creating shiny balls of earth and water, the so-called dorodango.

In theory, the process of creating a dorodango is insanely simple, earth and water mix to form a plastic mud from which a smooth ball is formed. Then it is dried and rubbed to a mirror shine, the so-called "hikaru" ("shining") state. But this is just in words, in fact it is a very laborious process that requires concentration, incredible diligence and patience. Obtaining the ideal ball shape and the subsequent polishing process takes quite a long time, from several days to several months, depending on the hard work and the desired result. And the result is worth it!

Being a good anti-stress remedy, the art of dorodango pursues other positive goals: you can imagine how much a person is able to inspire the very fact that he creates something beautiful with his own hands from such ingenuous components as earth and water. Many orientalists, studying dorodango in the context of cultural characteristics, find a philosophical and even religious grain in the very idea of ​​making shiny earth balls.

Want to try repeating? Then here's to you:

A short course in making Japanese dorodango balls.

To make dorodango, you will need sifted earth (sand is excluded, balls from it just crumble during drying), a little water and a lot of patience.

So, remember, the soil can be anything other than sand! The color of the future ball depends on the color of the soil.

Add a little water until the soil is wet and form a ball shape with a perfectly smooth surface. Sprinkle the ball with dry soil several times and rub it into the surface.

... sprinkle and rub in ...

After we are satisfied with the result, we will start drying. This is the most crucial stage in the manufacture of dorodango. To speed up drying, we use this tricky method - we wrap the ball in plastic bag and leave in the refrigerator for half an hour. You need to lay out the ball on a soft base so as not to damage perfect shape ball.

During this time, moisture released from the ball will condense on the walls of the bag. Gently take out the ball, sprinkle it with dry soil and grind it.

During the drying process ...

The action will have to be repeated many times, because if you do not evaporate all the water, you will get the following result.

After complete drying, we proceed to polish the ball with a soft cloth. The amount of shine you get depends on the amount of time and effort you put in, whether it's a light sheen or a truly gorgeous shine!

polish

beauty…

And still admire the result. Dorodango from true masters.

Isn't it art?

It looks like a huge pearl ...