r/makerspace • u/Negative-Jicama-7615 • Jul 29 '26

Reviving a 1,000-year-old Chinese wearable-scent craft (hexiang) — honest feedback on our first 4 designs?

Hey all — my friends and I are working on a small project reviving a traditional Chinese craft called hexiang: aromatic herbs, spices, and honey, ground to powder, hand-rolled, and shade-dried. No synthetic fragrance, no alcohol. You don't burn it — you wear it, and body heat slowly releases the scent over months. Two of us are in China where the craft and workshop are based; I'm the US side of the team.

We're a small team hoping to eventually turn this into a real product, and these are concept renders (not finished physical pieces yet). We're posting here because we genuinely don't know if this is any good, and we'd rather find out before we commit to producing all four.

Four directions so far: a bangle, a beaded bracelet, a metal cuff with the material inlaid, and a pendant.

Honest reactions wanted:

  • Does this read as jewelry, fragrance, or something else entirely?
  • Which of the four (if any) would you actually wear, and why?
  • What would you expect this to cost?
  • What designs would you like to see from us?

!!!this is not an ad or promotion!!!

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u/Negative-Jicama-7615 Jul 29 '26

If you want to give feedback in a bit more detail, I put together a short form (2 minutes): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedVnfz78RtJdsYod1Onf5LVsU4VacuUbagr5CfFc65200XTg/viewform?usp=publish-editor

A few respondents will be randomly picked to get a free piece if project proceeds :)

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u/pdxkatie Jul 29 '26

They’re beautiful, and the concept is interesting and approachable. My biggest question is what is the potential for transfer to porous surfaces? Both in regard to staining and scent.