S925 Silver Zodiac Tiger Head Relief Pendant

The tiger head is a folk thing for children: tiger hats, tiger shoes, tiger pillows, all taking the sense of lending courage and guarding a house. The tiger is king of the beasts; the saying is old, but ordinary people accept it. In the zodiac the tiger pairs with the earthly branch yin and comes third, after the rat and the ox. The yin hour is the stretch before dawn, and the old texts tied the tiger to that hour, saying it governs the end of the night. The tiger face on a child's shoe is made only on the front, with the sides left plain, so it does not rub the foot.

The tiger head has a few points: round, bulging eyes, a low brow ridge, two bared fangs, and the character for king on the forehead. The ears are small and upright and must not be made like a cat's; once they are, the whole face softens. The fur at the jaw should turn outward, or the neck looks thin. The nose should be wide with flared nostrils, since half a tiger's ferocity sits there. The forehead should be broad, because a narrow-browed tiger looks mean. The king character on the forehead has to be cut deep, or it disappears at a distance.

On silver, the difficulty is the fangs. They are thin and stand out in high relief, so they break in casting and snap in polishing. A good piece has a thick root, a sharp tip and a waist between the two, and it takes a highlight when light crosses it. The eyeball needs to keep its high point; polish it flat and the tiger is blind, and the whole face goes wooden. The tips of the fangs blunt first, and with long wear the tiger grows gentle.

A tiger head pendant suits both men and women: a thick cord on a man, a fine chain on a woman, and the character of the thing changes completely. People born in a tiger year wear it for their own sign; others wear it for the warding, and both reasons hold. For a child under three, avoid it: small pieces have corners, and small pieces go into mouths. On a child, keep the cord short so the plaque cannot hang within biting distance. On an adult, face out, tiger head down, never upside down.

The tiger head has many hollows: eye sockets, nostrils, the roots of the fangs. Sweat collects there fastest and blackens fastest. Work a soft brush with a little soapy water, rinse, press dry, and do not let water stand in the eye sockets. Water left there dries to a ring that is hard to remove later. Do not pick the black out of the sockets with a needle; scratch the eye and the spirit goes. A silver tiger head does not like being dropped, and one fall can break a fang. Sweat gathers behind the ears more than anywhere, so do not miss them when wiping.