White Copper Yellow Jambhala Round Antique Pendant

Yellow Jambhala is the first of the five Jambhalas in Tibetan tradition. He is easy to recognize: one face, two arms, a yellow body, a round belly, the wish-fulfilling jewel raised in the right hand, a mongoose spitting treasure held in the left, one leg folded and the other hanging down. He wears a crown and the usual ornaments, and stands on a conch. All of this is fixed in thangka painting; shrunk to a plaque, less than half of it survives. Each of the five has his own domain, and Yellow Jambhala sits at the center, the most prominent place, which is why his image is also the most common on the market.

The advantage of a round plaque is that the composition closes in on itself. The seated figure is already a bundle, and a round field cut to that bundle has room for the belly, the knees and the arms; a square leaves four empty corners that have to be filled with cloud scroll or a halo, and if they are filled badly the picture comes apart. On a cast plaque the relief does not stand high; the layering comes from polished highlights against shadow in the hollows, and the curve of a round face gathers the light onto the center. The rim is usually left as a border, and a border too wide makes the face small.

The silver and gold versions describe surface treatment, not material. Both are white copper underneath; one goes cold white, the other warm yellow. The silver one is crisp against dark clothing; the gold one sits close to old bronze and does not fight cotton, linen or camel. On skin with yellow in it the gold tends to merge while the silver lifts it. The two look nearly the same under a shop lamp, so move to the doorway and compare in daylight. The base is identical, and weight and feel do not differ; do not expect the gold one to sit heavier in the hand.

The pendant is a single piece with the hole at the top. A round plaque lies flat against the chest, more comfortable than a square, and turns over less. Use waxed cord or thin leather rather than a thick braided cord; the hole on a round plaque is not large and a thick cord has to be forced through. Choose a thin chain, since the plaque already has weight and a heavy chain looks clumsy. If the hole sits too far back the piece tips forward with its face down, and that is a fault you only find by handling it.

Plating dislikes abrasion, and the chest rubs against clothing every day, so within six months the high points will show base metal. That is not a defect; every plated piece does it. To slow it down, wear the plaque outside the sweater when you wear a coarse knit. Clean with a dry cloth and skip the toothpaste, because the abrasives in it polish a layer of plating away. When it is not being worn, wrap it in paper and then bag it. Paper takes up moisture and is steadier than plastic.