White Copper Seven Stars Gold Nail Talisman Mantra Enamel Ring

The names of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper are fixed. Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji and Tianquan make the bowl; Yuheng, Kaiyang and Yaoguang make the handle. When the handle points east, spring is everywhere under heaven; point south, and it is summer. The old used it to fix the solar terms, more reliably than watching the sun. The handle turns one step a month and comes full circle in a year, a ready-made calendar. The Xia Xiao Zheng records exactly this. The seven names are awkward on the tongue; remembering the three in the handle is enough.

In Daoism the Dipper governs life and death, and the line from the Soushen Ji — “the Southern Dipper notes births, the Northern Dipper notes deaths” — is the best known. On talismans the seven stars are often not drawn as stars but as seven dots, set in the order they hold in the sky. Anyone who knows reads them at once; anyone who doesn't takes them for ornament. The Dipper has another use in Daoism: finding your way and fixing direction. That is where reciting it on a night road comes from. The seven dots are not joined by lines; the space between them is the line.

Here the seven dots are raised into studs, which catch light better than incised lines. Turn the ring and the seven light up in turn; that is the best thing about it. Raised also means fast wear. The tops of the studs flatten first, and once flat the seven dots become seven round patches. The studs have to be the same size; let them vary and the constellation falls apart. When choosing, half-close your eyes and see whether the seven dots join into a ladle.

The men's version has a larger opening and a wider face; the women's is a size narrower with the same motif. The open design saves you measuring a finger, but don't expect it to fit forever. Copper fatigues, and bend it often enough and it goes slack. A slender hand should take the women's; the men's will spin on a middle finger. The opening sits against the flesh, and in summer sweat leaves a ring at the base of the finger. Worn a little loose the mark is fainter, and it is less likely to slip off. The band is thick, so a shallow mark at the finger base over the years is unavoidable.

For a friend in construction, or one who drives at night, the seven stars speak of telling direction and reading the hour, which is more fitting than talk of warding off evil. For a student it is less suitable; the Dipper has nothing to do with examination rankings. I say this sort of thing across the counter a lot. Say it clearly and the gift can be given with a straight face. A ring is not worn daily. For anyone doing rough work or often in water, take it off and keep it, and a few wearings a year will make it last longer. That is not pleasant to hear, but it is more honest than a wish.