S925 Silver Prehnite Fu Character Earrings

Prehnite's name comes straight from what it looks like: its crystals often grow as a mass of grains pressed together, like a bunch of green grapes. The colour runs from pale green to yellow-green; good stones lean tender, like fruit just peeled. Natural stones usually carry white flocculent inclusions or a few fine lines; clean ones are scarce and expensive. Prehnite's green does not shout — in a tray of coloured stones it is the quietest one there. Pale green sits best with silver; with gold it looks old. The grape in the name refers to the shape, not the taste.

There are far too many ways of writing fu: seal, clerical and regular script each have their own form, and folk art has a hundred-fu diagram with a hundred different versions. The earrings use the skeleton of regular script, horizontals level and verticals straight, easy to read and easy to make. Shrink a character with many strokes to this size and the part most likely to clog is the field element: the four sides of the box have to keep their hollow, because filled in it becomes a block of ink. The radical on the left has to be held in, or it overbears the right-hand part. The character is only a fingernail wide, so the strokes need a little thickness to stand. The floor of the cut has to be flat, or it holds dirt.

The stone sits at the top of the character, in a small setting that cups it. The face is turned outward, so light from the front passes a little way in and the green comes alive. The claws have to be short: short and they do not cover the stone, long and it looks like fingers gripping it. The silver backing is pierced so light can come from behind and the stone does not go dead. The stone is cut as a cabochon, and the dome has to be round; an uneven dome scatters the light. The four corners of the setting must press on the stone's edge, or it will wobble.

The earrings are light and do not tire you over a day. The hooks are fine, so do not bend them with a fingernail — every bend loosens them a little. On thin lobes a pair of silicone backs under the hook tails makes them steadier. The point of the hook should face backwards; forwards it jabs behind the ear. The stones in the two earrings should be matched in colour; too great a difference in depth shows.

Prehnite is medium hardness and dislikes knocks and heat. Take the earrings off for housework or moving things, and do not keep them with keys. Clean with a soft cloth dampened with clean water — no ultrasonic, since vibration loosens the inclusions in the stone. Use cool water: a big temperature change can craze the stone. If sweat gets on the face, wipe it off there and then rather than letting it dry on the surface.