S925 Silver Yellow Jambhala Zhakila Open Ring

Yellow Jambhala heads the five Jambhalas of Tibetan Buddhism. His body is golden yellow, which is where the name comes from. His right hand rests on his knee, palm up, holding a wish-fulfilling jewel; his left cradles a mongoose that disgorges jewels from its mouth. He sits in half lotus, the right foot slightly extended and resting on a conch shell. Those three things, jewel, mongoose and posture, are the keys to identifying him; leave one out and he blurs with the other wealth deities. Among the five his office is increase, which is why he receives the most offerings.

Zhaki Lhamo is a different matter. She appears in female form: dark-faced, glaring, tongue out, crowned with skulls, fierce, nothing like the smiling well-fed wealth gods of the Chinese lowlands. Tibetans worship her as a deity of wealth and ask her for smooth dealings in business. Her image is painted on doors and also made small enough to carry. Putting Yellow Jambhala and Zhaki Lhamo on one ring braids two routes to the same request together; which one you choose comes down to which face you like looking at.

The ring is open at the back, with a gap at each side: slide it on, then close it towards the centre. Silver is ductile and will take a few adjustments without failing at once, but repeated bending in the same spot raises fatigue lines and eventually a break. Set it once and leave it alone, including when you move it to another finger; better slightly loose. The rounded ends at the opening need proper finishing, since an unpolished cut drags at the skin. The opening is the thinnest part of the band, so do not pry at the gap with a fingernail.

A wide plaque on the finger meets everything: pens, shopping bags, door handles. Silver is softer than brass and takes small dents against hard edges, especially at the rim. Taking it off before manual work is less trouble than polishing afterwards. Keep the opening at the side of the finger rather than over the palm so it does not dig in when you grip. The face is broad, and on closely set fingers a long wear can pinch; make a fist when you try it on. On a day of moving heavy things, leave it at home, or the base of the finger will take a crease.

Tarnish starts in the recesses. The lines of the deity's face are deep and will darken before the flat field does. Not all of that black is dirt; some is a sulphide film, which a silver cloth removes, gently. For the crevices, work a soft brush dampened with mild soapy water, then dry at once and do not soak. Once a silver cloth is dirty, do not wash it; washing kills it. Every so often wipe the inside of the band with a soft cloth, since that is where sweat collects.