S925 Silver Daoist Talisman Sword Pendant

In Daoism the sword is a ritual implement, not a weapon. The sword on an altar usually has the Big Dipper cut into the blade and is called a seven-star sword. Some are whittled from peach wood and hung on a door, with no stars, only a point shaped at the top. The sword's work is to quell, not to kill, so the point usually faces down, planted in a measure or laid across the table. The two faces divide yin and yang: stars on one side, talisman on the other. The order cannot be reversed. Stars outside, talisman inside.

This piece turns the sword into a pendant. The blade is flat with a ridge down the middle, three stars on each side, plus the one at the point, making up the Dipper's shape. The guard is a shallow arc, the grip wrapped in coils of cord pattern, the pommel a round bead. The whole thing is under a knuckle long and the stars are only needle-tip size. The point is not sharpened but left blunt, so it does not prick and does not catch clothing. The pommel bead is a little thicker than the grip, and the cord hole is drilled through the bead.

Stars this small are hard because of depth. Cut deep and they punch through; cut shallow and they disappear. The only way is to leave a thin raised bump in the casting and polish it flat, so each star remains as a dark point visible only when light comes sideways. That is where most of the work in this piece goes. The seven positions are fixed as well, from Tianshu to Yaoguang arranged in the dipper shape. The direction the handle points turns with the seasons, and this piece takes the common orientation.

Whether the point faces down or up is the question customers ask most. On an altar the point faces down, held in reserve; some prefer it up, saying it looks more spirited. This one is made point down, with the cord hole in the pommel, so it hangs naturally. Some hang it in the car, point down, for steadiness. Others hang it behind a door, in the same place a peach-wood sword would go. Customers also ask whether it can be sharpened. A piece this small cannot be, and there is no need.

Use a dark cord; red, black and Tibetan blue all hold it. The blade is thin and will bend if dropped; do not force it back, ease it from the side. The antiquing sits in the star points and the hollows of the ridge, so do not soak it in silver dip. One soak and it all goes white. Wipe it when it tarnishes, and keep the bright line along the ridge. Do not store it with keys. The point bends most easily, and a bent spot cannot be polished back.