I love my little collection of traditional Chinese-style scissors. Each one tells it’s own story.

The cane-handled pair belonged to a friend’s mother who died suddenly. The mother had been a hoarder her whole life and I helped my friend sort through her belongings, giving many things away to charity and selling others at a garage sale. I never met my friend’s mother, but I think of her every time I use these scissors. The silver ones with the engraved bird come from Wah Lee, one of my favourite shops here in Auckland. It’s an old-school treasure trove of a shop, piled high with all sorts of curious and enticing things.

I bought both the pairs of mint handled scissors (small in the top photo, big below) when I was in Vietnam. I’d become irrationally obsessed by a similar, very well-worn old pair I’d seen belonging to a shopkeeper. I even fantasized about offering to swap her scissors for my Swiss Army knife, I’d fallen so hopelessly in love with them! Fortunately soon afterwards I found my own pair in a market in Hanoi.

I can’t make out what is engraved on the handle – even whether it is letters or some kind of symbol or logo. What do you think?

I love the handcrafted feel of each of these pairs of scissors. They have beautifully sharp and efficient blades too.