Train a pair of eye-catching eyes to identify the circle chair

A few days ago, I attended a meeting and noticed a three-piece set of Nanmu circle chairs in the conference room. What struck me was how unique they looked. In the past, we had only seen red rosewood, red sandalwood, Lushi black rosewood, or Burmese rosewood furniture. These are all traditional rosewood materials, commonly associated with high-end craftsmanship. However, Nanmu circle chairs are much rarer. A few colleagues gathered around to discuss their value. Some thought it was worth 4,000 yuan, while others suggested 8,000. Just as we were debating, our CEO walked over. As an expert in mahogany appreciation, he has deep knowledge of both the construction and aesthetics of these pieces, as well as market trends. He smiled and said that the chairs weren’t even close to the prices we were discussing. If he were to assign a value, he would say it was just a few hundred dollars. This statement shocked us. After all, the chairs looked elegant, with beautiful backrest patterns that caught the eye. But our CEO kept shaking his head. He pointed out that the craftsmanship was subpar, not up to standard. So, what made this set different from the real ones? To get a better understanding, we went back to the conference room during our free time, took some photos, and carefully examined each part. **Related reading: The old wooden chair** Looking at the overall design, the traditional Ming and Qing dynasty circle chairs are known for their balanced proportions, stability, and smooth lines. But the Nanmu chairs we saw lacked that elegance. From any angle, they looked awkward, especially when viewed from a distance. Their width seemed uneven, making them look unbalanced. There was no sense of harmony or beauty in their design. The coffee table was equally disappointing. Its shape was clumsy, and the legs looked dull. Our CEO joked that if you placed a pig’s ear next to one of the legs, it might actually look more refined by comparison. Another issue was the materials used. Traditional Ming and Qing dynasty chairs were made with high-quality wood, paying close attention to grain and integrity. Many were crafted from solid wood. However, the Nanmu chair’s seat ring was made of five separate joints, which meant the material was small, fragmented, and not ideal. Even though Phoebe wood isn’t rare in China, the quality here was poor, further reducing its value. The craftsmanship was also questionable. Traditional circle chairs were built using precise joinery techniques, such as mortise and tenon. However, these chairs showed clear signs of glue use instead of proper craftsmanship. The core panels were inlaid, but the gaps were filled with visible glue. Even the small coffee table had issues—its legs were glued directly without proper joinery, creating large seams. Glue was clearly being used as a shortcut, which explains why the joints were so weak. This kind of poor workmanship is hard to justify at any price. In conclusion, the three-piece set of Nanmu circle chairs can be considered low-quality. This experience was a wake-up call. From now on, when buying such furniture, we must pay close attention to craftsmanship, develop our own eye for quality, and gain enough experience to avoid being deceived. It's also important to ensure that such poorly made products don't end up on the market.

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