Three-legged Toad Bell Pendant

The three-legged toad is a figure out of folk story. The tale of Liu Hai teasing the toad has been told for centuries and turns up in opera, New Year prints and wood carving, the toad with a string of coins in its mouth and a gold ingot on its back. The third leg is not a mistake; it was decided deliberately. The four-legged toad is a demon in the story, and only after it was subdued did it become three-legged. The everyday name for a toad is not flattering, but the figure has always been used as a lucky one, because its belly is big and holds a lot.

The bell is another matter. A hollow shell with a small pellet inside, and it rings when you move. Whether the sound is bright or dull depends on the thickness of the shell and the size of the pellet: too thick a shell and the sound dies, too large a pellet and it goes hoarse. How it is hung matters too, since a loose knot lets the sound scatter faster. Pendants like this go on bags and keyrings and make a noise as you walk. Some people find it annoying; some buy it for exactly that.

Three sizes, small, medium and large, and which one you take depends on where it hangs. Small goes on a phone or a zipper pull and stays out of the way; medium on a bag, where the sound is about right; large on a door handle or in a car, for the liveliness of it. With a hanging piece, go one size down rather than up, because too big is in the way wherever it goes. The steps between the three are wide enough that one on its own does not look large, and only set side by side do you see the difference. In a car, mind that it swings under braking, and do not hang it where it blocks the view.

The seam of the shell is at the back or the bottom. A good weld disappears; a rough one leaves a ridge. The bumps on the toad's back are cast, and they should vary in height to look right; all the same size means a stamped sheet. The string of coins in its mouth should have live links, because a cast-solid loop breaks the first time it is dropped. Shake it in your hand and listen; that tells you more about the sound than any photograph. Hung on a keyring for a long time, the split ring wears a bright line into the top of the bell.

A bell does not like being dropped. The shell is thin and a dent does not come out. Do not leave it soaking either; the pellet inside rusts, and once rusted the sound goes dull. Wipe the surface with a dry cloth and skip wet wipes, because the alcohol in them takes the color off in patches. If dust gets inside, shake it out rather than opening the shell, since it will not go back together. Over time the cord hole wears larger, so re-tie the knot now and then. Do not bother polishing the color back up when it darkens; the old tone does not hurt the sound.