Copper Clear Quartz Gourd Chain Dangle Charm

Dangle is the word used among curio collectors for a small pendant hung on a strand so that it can swing. This one starts with a length of fine chain; at the end of the chain is a copper mount, and set into the mount is a gourd cut from clear quartz. Hung, it moves with the wrist instead of staying put, which makes it livelier than a fixed pendant. The swing is its talent and also its trouble: it knocks against things more often than a fixed piece does.

The gourd is two spheres stacked, the upper smaller than the lower and drawn in at the waist. In folk reading the shape stands for fortune and office, because the word hulu sounds close to both; and because a gourd holds many seeds and its vine runs long, it is used as an image of a family continuing. Both readings are folk usage, a matter of verbal luck, and need not be treated as rules. Tracing it further back, the gourd's place in Daoism is far more complicated than that. The narrow mouth and broad belly are also why it became a vessel for storing things.

Cutting a gourd from clear quartz is not easy. The waist is the weakest point and the most likely to break, so the grinding goes slowly. This one's waist is drawn in gently, with a rounder transition between the two spheres — a compromise reached deliberately. The narrower the waist, the more it looks like a gourd and the more fragile it becomes. That the quality of the cutting shows at the waist is not an exaggeration.

The length of the chain decides what it is for. Shorter, it suits a bracelet and hangs on the back-of-hand side; longer, it can go on a bag or a keyring. The chain is fine and its load is limited, so do not hang anything heavy from it. Check the joint between mount and gourd now and then; if it loosens, close it gently with needle-nose pliers, with a cloth over the metal so the jaws do not leave marks on the copper. The links have a little play between them, so it ticks faintly as it swings.

Clear quartz does not survive falls. One knock can start a crack, and the crack sits inside where a finger cannot feel it — hold it to the light and it shows. Wipe the copper with a dry cloth and do not soak it; prolonged soaking softens the adhesive at the back of the mount. If the chain knots, do not pull; lay it flat on a table and separate the links one at a time with a needle. When it is not being worn, hang it up rather than letting it tangle with other things in a box. Silver cloth should not touch the quartz — the powder lodges in cracks. The back of the mount is closed; the stone is set in from the front.