Copper Qiuniu Three-hole Bead Straight-through Bracelet Charm

In the saying of the dragon's nine sons, Qiuniu is usually put first, and he has the softest nature of the nine: he loves music and has no taste for fighting. The head of the old huqin fiddle was carved as him, a dragon's head turned to one side with its ear against the neck of the instrument, as though still listening. After centuries on instruments he is probably the most handled of the nine, and the head goes bright where hands have been. Move a character like that onto a bracelet and the fierceness drains out of it, leaving a mild, watchful look. He does not hold a gate the way Bi'an does, or keep wealth the way pixiu does. He is simply company.

As with the Bi'an set, these come as three-hole or straight-through. The difference is in the channels: the three-hole has three meeting channels and takes a stupa at the finish; the straight-through runs one hole from end to end and serves as a top bead or a spacer. Which you want depends on what you are stringing. A long strand needs a finish, and that means a three-hole; a short bracelet where the piece is only an accent is served by a straight-through. The four versions also split into two sizes, so there are four choices in all, and they are easy to skim past on the page. Measure both the diameter and the hole of your beads before ordering. The hole is the more likely of the two to ruin the job.

One large, one small. Qiuniu's horns are short and his mane lies flat, and at a small scale that can blur into a lump, so the small version keeps mostly its outline and relies on light and shadow for the detail. If you want to see the carving, go large; if you want it to sit quietly among the beads without competing with them, small is better. Neither size is superior. It depends on how thick your beads are, and a fitting should always sit half a head lower than the beads to lie properly. If it is going at the Buddha-head position, err larger, because that is what holds a finish down.

The depth of the brass colour has to do with polishing. Brass darkens slowly; it will not be hurried, and it will not be scrubbed white. On this piece some rough, unpolished surface has been left in the crevices of the mane, so a pass with a silver cloth brings it up and a few days brings it down again, and only after several rounds does the colour settle. Some people find that back-and-forth tiresome, others get addicted to it. That is where the pleasure of brass lies: it will not fix itself on your behalf. If you want an even, unchanging tone and want it now, a plated piece is less trouble.

There is something to say about giving this one, too. Qiuniu is easier to offer than Bi'an: he is not fierce, he has nothing to do with lawsuits, only with music, so for a friend who plays, listens to opera or sings, the opening line is ready made. Hanging it in a music room or setting it beside an instrument case suits it better than wearing it at the throat.