Copper Zhakila Square Sun Moon Spacer

A dark face, a tongue thrust out, a jewelled crown on top — among Tibetan protectors Zakiram is easy to pick out, and once seen not easily forgotten. She is a female protector in folk belief, called on around Lhasa for safe travel and for the household, and her shrine has always been busy. The stories about her are passed on by word of mouth and there is more than one version; what they share is her standing as a protector, the dark face and the protruding tongue.

This spacer is square, with the face crowded into a small front panel and a border left on all four sides. The corners are rounded so the piece does not press into the beads on either side. The sun and moon sit above, at the crown: a dot and a curve. A square spacer works like a full stop in a strand — set one between two runs of plain beads and the boundary appears by itself. Use a single one rather than a pair; a pair reads as a counterweight.

Sun and moon appear constantly in Tibetan pattern: on the finial of a stupa, in the corners of a thangka, at the end of an implement's handle. The usual reading is that the sun stands for method and the moon for wisdom, and that only the two together make a complete path. That reading comes out of the ritual texts rather than being a later embellishment. Sometimes a flame is added above them for radiance; this one leaves the space empty, which is cleaner.

Copper, and thicker than a spacer usually is, so the gap it opens between two main beads is clearly visible. The face stands only a thin layer above the ground — a fingernail drawn across it will find the step. The patina runs reddish-brown, close to old copper, and sits well with a red or a brown cord. The raised face is high enough to catch at the fibres of a knit, so mind it in winter.

The hole is centred, so keep the face turned outward and do not let the sun and moon rotate round to the side. Water does no harm; dry the piece afterwards, and do not leave it in the basin overnight. The dark in the crevices is ordinary oxidation and there is no need to clean it out to the bottom every time. Both faces carry the same pattern and the bore is centred, so reversing the bead makes no difference. Colour deepens with use, which is copper's nature rather than damage; if it begins to look dull, a few passes with a soft cloth will bring it up. If incense has been kept in the box, copper will take the scent, and it lingers for a long while.