S925 Silver Holding Coin Pixiu Pendant

The pixiu has a settled set of features: a horn on the head, scales on the body, clawed feet, a coin in the mouth. No such animal exists; it was reworked from the great cats, tiger and leopard among them. The Records of the Grand Historian, in the annals of the Five Emperors, has the Yellow Emperor training bears, brown bears, pixiu and tigers before fighting the Yan Emperor in the wilds of Banquan — there the word was still a general term for a fierce beast and carried no money sense at all. It has one horn or two, and folk usage calls the single-horned one tianlu and the double-horned one bixie; both are common.

Popular belief treats it as a symbol for drawing in wealth, on the strength of a story about a creature that takes in and never lets out. That is folklore, not a promise. As sculpture, holding a coin is more specific than merely carrying one: the forepaws close around a coin with its square hole facing out, and the beast's head lowers to look at it. The whole posture is protective rather than pouncing, which steadies the energy. With the hole facing front, head-on you see a complete coin; turn it sideways and only the rim remains.

S925 silver is hard enough to hold fine detail. The scales are laid out in chased dots, one overlapping the next, while the coin is made separately and soldered between the paws. Silver white is cool, and deep pressing gathers a little darkness; once light and shade pull apart, the beast's face stands up. Recesses darken first, high points polish first, and with wear the contrast grows, so the creature reads more clearly than it did when new. The forepaws are hollow beneath and the curve of the claws is visible — this is where coarse work and fine work divide.

The hole is drilled at the back or the top of the head, so the piece hangs upright. Silver is heavier than copper and drags on a thin cord, so a thicker waxed cord is steadier. Held at the chest, the coin knocks lightly against the collarbone as you walk: not painful, but you know it is there. Leave a little slack where the cord is knotted so it doesn't pull when you move. With a braided cord, put the knot at the nape rather than the side of the neck, where it will dig in if you sleep on that side.

Silver oxidises, quickly in summer. Wipe it dry after wearing and bag it. For the darkness inside the chased dots, push a corner of a silver cloth into them rather than picking with a needle, which scratches. On the question of which way the pixiu should face, folk opinion splits — outward to bite at wealth, inward to guard it — and there is no ruling. Wear it the way it looks right to you and don't fret over it. A small piece of anti-tarnish paper in the box saves a lot of repeat polishing.