White Copper Citipati Rhombus Pendant Necklace

Let us be clear from the start: this is not a likeable object. The pendant is diamond-shaped, its four sides drawn to points, and in the middle sits a pair of lords of the charnel ground, two skeletons, one high and one low, in a dance posture, a lotus seat beneath their feet. The base is white copper, the antique finish pressed deep, so the lines of the bone structure lift a little light out of the dark ground, and the ribs are separated one from another. Each of the four faces of the diamond carries a fold line, and light falling on it breaks in two. The patina settles into the seams of the bone; the deeper the seam, the blacker it goes, and only at a distance does it read as bone.

In the Tibetan tradition these two are the lords of the charnel ground, a pair of skeletal dancers, the male holding a staff and the female a skull cup. They are not a comforting subject. What they show is impermanence: a person goes to the end and what is left is a frame of bone, and even that is still dancing here. The practice of chöd makes use of the image, meaning to give the body away, to let go even of that attachment. Worn on the body it is a reminder, not a request for protection. Best to say so plainly beforehand, so that a gift is not misunderstood.

A diamond is not common among pendants. The point hangs down and the shape reads sharper on the body than a round one; against a black high collar or a plain shirt the lines are very clean. The necklace comes with it, which saves hunting for a chain, and the length is cut with a little allowance so it slips over the head without undoing the clasp each time. The clasp itself is small and tucks behind the neck without pressing.

Copper worn against the skin needs a wipe after sweating in summer. The salt stays in the hollows and turns green, and once verdigris works into the grooves it is hard to shift. Take it off for showering and do not swim in it; pool water is worse still. Store the chain on its own, since a fine chain tangles most easily and a tangle costs ten minutes to unpick. Wipe along the direction of the bone structure. Wiping across tends to drag the dark out of the recesses.

The subject is uncompromising, and not everyone will take to it. Given to someone who likes Tibetan culture and can read the meaning underneath, it works far better than as a casual present. There is no harm in leaving it in a wardrobe unworn. Objects like this are for a glance and a word with yourself. Kept on a shelf it does not look out of place either, and the copper will slowly darken.