Brass Round Gourd Pendant

A gourd is two circles stacked, small above and large below, pinched at the waist. The shape has been used in folk work for a long time: it sounds like the words for fortune and rank, the vine runs on without a break, and the seeds are many, three meanings laid on one object. In painting the vine is the ten-thousand-generation vine, a pun on ten thousand generations, which is why the stem in a gourd picture is always drawn long, winding all the way to the edge. Made into a pendant, the round parts should be full, and a waist pinched too hard looks thin. Gourd shapes in copper come solid and hollow; solid sits heavy in the hand, hollow is light and does not tire you after a day.

Brass runs warm, bright as gold when new, turning honey with wear. If the surface is polished, light rolls across the round belly and the volume reads clearly; if it is textured, the light breaks up and the shape has to be read from shadow. A polished face reflects a figure and holds fingerprints just as clearly, which is the standard complaint about polished work, and a wipe with a cloth before wearing takes care of it. The finish on this one can be judged roughly from the photographs, and the object itself is the truer guide.

The hole is in the stem. The stem is the small handle at the top, and the hole has to be centered for the pendant to hang straight; drilled off center and it leans to one side. If the stem is thin, drilling leaves too little metal and it cracks under load over time; the wall around the hole needs thickness, and too thin means a pull on the cord draws the hole out into a funnel. Look at the thickness of the stem before buying, and do not hang a heavy cord from a thin one. If the hole runs crosswise through the stem, the cord wears a little faster.

A red cord is the folk-correct choice, while black or brown is more everyday. The gourd is not large and hangs at the neck, on a bag or in a car. Used as a DIY component it can close off a strand or stand alone as a small charm, and there are no rules about how to string it. Tie the knot above the stem and leave a little space so the gourd hangs free rather than lying against clothing. In a car, take a smaller one so it does not swing across the view.

Brass oxidizes: first it dulls, then goes brown, and the hollows blacken first. To bring the brightness back, use a brass cloth rather than abrasive paper, since paper leaves scratches at one pass. In summer, with more sweat, wipe it after wearing; sweat left on brass raises spotty patches in time, and once they will not wipe off they have to stay. They do not affect wear, only looks. Bag it when it is not worn and do not keep it with silver, because with the two metals side by side the silver blackens first. A brass cloth leaves a film of oil, so go over the piece with a dry cloth the next morning.