Copper Round Gourd Pendant

The Chinese have looked at the gourd shape for thousands of years. In the middle of a round plaque stands a gourd, small above and large below, pinched at the waist, its outline raised so that it fills the whole disc and leaves only a narrow rim to hold the picture in. The back is flat: turn it over and there is a plain sheet of copper, nothing at all. The front has said enough; the back need not add anything. The edge of the plaque slopes away, so it lies against the collarbone without lifting. The waist of the gourd falls dead centre, and the two spheres, one large and one small, keep it from looking top-heavy. The plaque is round and the gourd stands upright: one horizontal, one vertical, and the composition settles.

The word for gourd sounds like the words for fortune and rank, which is the most direct layer of meaning. The vine runs long and the seeds inside a single gourd are many, and popular tradition puts the two together for unbroken descendants. Daoism has another account. Gourds hold medicine and wine, and a gourd can hold a world inside it, which is why old houses often hung a real one over the door, not necessarily for looks but to press down on something. Apothecary signs were painted with a gourd as well: a string of square-holed coins beside one is where the phrase for hanging out a doctor's shingle comes from. New Year prints often put the gourd together with a bat, for fortune and rank complete, which follows the same logic.

Brass in its natural colour is on the yellow side, and the polish covers the surface as one bright sheet rather than a scatter of points. The raised edge of the gourd is polished brightest and the recessed ground sits darker; caught between the two, the form comes out. A pendant disc should not be too thick, or it stands away from the collarbone, and too thin an edge rolls over. This one takes the middle. A dark brown leather cord is the steadiest choice, red looks festive, and black is too heavy, flattening the roundness of the gourd. Cords stretch with use, and replacing one costs far less than replacing the plaque.

A piece worn at the throat fears sweat above all. Rinse it in clean water when you come home, press it dry with a soft cloth, and do not rub it with tissue, whose fibres leave fine marks on copper. Store it separately when it is off. The rim of a round plaque chips most easily against other jewellery. It suits an older relative, who will read the shape at once and need no explanation. For a house move or a shop opening it is presentable too, the meaning plain on the surface without looking forced.