The artist who hand-carved this bracelet used peach kernels as material. Apart from being very hard, a peach kernel has an uneven surface which makes it difficult to depict small details. The fact that he used peach kernels has a hidden meaning. The Peach is a symbol of Immortality and there is little doubt that this is the main reason for using peach kernels. Each of the twelve kernels is carved with one of the animals of the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese zodiac, shengxiao (生肖) is the classification scheme that assigns an animal to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. The Chinese zodiac signs are determined by the lunar year in which you were born. The Chinese believe the animal ruling one's birth year has a profound influence on personality, and destiny. The reverse side of each kernel is decorated with a sage sitting under a pine tree which symbolizes Longevity. The total length is approximately 26 cm. Bead length 2.3 cm. Width 1.9 cm. Depth 1.3 cm.