S925 Silver Nine Dragon Sons Through-hole Spacer Bead

Each of the nine sons has somewhere it belongs, and that is the most interesting part of the whole theme. Pu lao is fond of calling out, so it is cast as the loop on top of a bell. Suan ni is fond of sitting, so it appears on the legs of incense burners and the corners of Buddha pedestals. Ya zi is fond of killing, and crouches on sword rings and scabbard mounts. Bi xi is fond of bearing weight, and is the one under a stele carrying the stone. Chi wen is fond of swallowing, and sits at either end of a roof ridge with its mouth around the ridge. Qiu niu is fond of music, and lies at the head of a lute. One beast to one place. Put it in the wrong place and anyone who knows will wince.

Made into pass-through beads, the set runs to six designs, two of them square: the square chi wen and the square qiu niu. A square bead pushes corners into a strand, and the round beads on either side of it leave gaps where they meet the flats. So square beads usually travel alone, with a small disc on each side, or sit at the tail of a strand as a back ornament. That is a practical compromise rather than a rule of taste. The square bead has one advantage: once it is lined up it stays lined up, and the carving keeps facing outward.

The four round ones are easier to place. Pu lao's loop is worked as a ring so the channel passes straight through the middle of it. Suan ni's mane curls in snail whorls, set out one by one, and at this size only seven or eight of them survive. Ya zi has its horns pressed back and its mouth wide, and the teeth have to be separated one at a time. Bi xi is the hardest, because the shell pattern goes muddy with too many cells and empty with too few. Silver can hold teeth and claws, provided the mould is fine enough. Identify a beast by where it sits: pu lao on a bell, bi xi under a stele, and you will not go wrong.

Take the beads toward dark materials. Coconut shell, black ebony, rudraksha: the white of the silver is pressed down to a single bright point that turns against the inside of the wrist. With southern red agate or amber the contrast jumps, which is a matter of taste. One to a strand is enough. If you want all six, make six strands. Do not crowd them onto one, because crowded they stop reading as individual animals and become a heap.

Pick the one whose temperament you are short of. There is no need to collect the whole set. The channel has to be clear: if the cord will not pass, change the bead rather than forcing it, because forcing fuzzes the cord and it will break within two days. Silver dims where sweat collects, the hollows blacken first and the features of the beast stand out better for it. Press with a soft cloth. Leave the black between the teeth; that is the mouth. There is no need to wipe it daily, since lint from the cloth lodges in the recesses and looks worse than tarnish. With a thick cord the mouth of the hole wears first, and a double strand lasts longer than a single.