Copper Mahakala Three-hole Bead Bracelet Charm

Mahakala is one of the principal protectors of Tibetan Buddhism; the Sanskrit name means the great black one. He is shown wrathful: the body dark blue, close to black, a crown of five skulls, a curved knife in one hand and a skull-cup in the other, a garland of severed heads around the neck. The iconography barely changes from one thangka to the next, and the way to recognise him is to look first at the crown and then at the two objects in his hands. He has a place in Chinese temples as well, though the sculpture there does not look quite the same as in Tibet.

This piece sets the head on the front of a three-hole bead. The bead has three channels: the main strand runs through horizontally, the charm hangs from the one below. From the forehead upward the metal is given over to the bore, so the design can only be carried as far as the brow — above that there is simply nowhere for it to go. The sides are left plain, the figure confined to a single front panel, so that turning the bead shows bare metal. If the inside of the channel feels rough, draw a cotton thread through it with a little wax and it will string far more smoothly.

The material is copper, darkened, with the hollows close to black and a little light left on the brow ridges and the fangs. The black sits deep in the recesses, the raised passages keep their shine, and the gap between the two is what gives the face its volume. The five skulls on the crown are cut extremely small; two shallow depressions stand for the eye sockets, and only at close range can you tell them apart.

Strands built around this kind of subject tend to be heavy, and dark wood, coconut shell and obsidian all hold it steady; pale bodhi looks abrupt beside it. The diameter is not small and there is real weight on the wrist, so anyone used to a light strand will notice the drag at first. It suits men and women both, though women's versions often place the three-hole bead where the charm would hang rather than among the main beads. The gap between crown and garland is the worst place for dust, and a brush will not reach it; use a puffer.

The patina does not like being rubbed. Do not go over the whole piece with a silver cloth, which will lift the black out of the hollows along with the tarnish. For sweat, press with a dry cloth rather than wiping back and forth. In storage, a bag with a small sachet of desiccant is worth the trouble, especially through the plum rains. Set the length by your wrist, and if the three-hole bead is on the large side, take out two main beads to compensate, or the strand will hang long. Carry it in from the cold in winter and a thin film of condensation forms on the copper; let it come back to room temperature before wiping.