S925 Silver South Red Agate Chiwen Ring

The chiwen is one of the dragon's nine sons. The ranking varies from telling to telling, but the temperament is consistent: it likes to swallow. So it is set at both ends of a roof ridge, mouth open and biting the main ridge, one on each side, like two beasts gripping the beam. On palaces, temples and old ancestral halls, those two upturned things at the roof corners are usually it. It also goes by chiwei. Tang dynasty ridges mostly had fish tails, and only later did a dragon head grow on, more dragonlike the further the fashion went. Roof chiwen are mostly pottery, some glazed; the silver one is a miniature of it.

Its shape is a dragon head on a fish body, fins along the back, tail curling up. Some carry a sword hilt. The story goes that it swallowed so much that, for fear it would swallow the ridge too, a sword was stuck in its back to hold it. That detail still shows on many old roofs. The hilt is handled differently from place to place: some show only the grip, some sink the blade in with it so it looks pinned to the ridge.

This piece takes the chiwen's profile, mouth open, a few teeth showing, a fin behind the gill turned up to make the shoulder of the ring. South red agate forms the face. The red carries a little ice, warm where light passes through and dull where it does not, and that range from dark to light is what gives the beast's face flesh. The shoulder of the ring follows the bend of the finger, and the fin lands on the joint at the base of the finger so it does not press. Only three teeth show at the mouth; more looks like a crocodile.

South red agate dislikes heat and dislikes dryness. Coming out of a heated room in winter, do not immediately wear it to wash your hands; the shock of hot and cold opens the small cracks already in the stone. Wearing it to work is fine, but a knock against something hard will chip it, and a chip on a fin shows most. The red is not one red. Persimmon red is warmer, cherry red brighter, and a single stone can vary, which is natural.

The opening is adjustable; slip it on from the side of the finger rather than pushing from the tip. The silver setting encloses the agate completely, with a window in the back so light passes and the red shows. Wipe the silver with a soft cloth when it tarnishes and do not let any chemical reach the stone; after a soak the red goes dull. The opening sits on the palm side, out of sight. Do not bend it in cold weather, since silver is brittle in winter and cracks easily. When the ring is off, a little colorless oil slows the drying.