S925 Silver Zhakila Double-sided Tag

Zakiram's face is not beautiful at first look. Fierce eyes, a wide mouth, the tongue curled up over the upper lip, the crown pressed low, the whole countenance dark. Lhasa people pay no attention to that. Incense at Zaki Temple has not stopped burning all year, and most of the people who go are asking about business. Wine is set out on the offering table — that is the old custom at her shrine. Legend has it she was a woman from Han China, fierce in temper, who refused to leave after death, was taken in by a passing monk of high rank, and has stayed on the northern edge of Lhasa ever since. Legend is legend, but the wine is real; anyone who has been there has seen it.

Both faces of this plaque are worked. One side carries the seated figure in relief, with the pattern on the crown, the earrings and the bowl in her hand all holding their depth; turn it over and there is a second set of ornament, not a blank back. Double-sided work costs more than single: the die is struck twice, once for each face, and the blank has to register exactly — a fraction off and the rim shows an uneven thickness. Silver's ductility is what lets it take a relief this deep without cracking, and that is precisely why S925 can be worked this way. A narrow ridge runs around the edge, smooth enough not to cut the fingers, and it draws a line between the two faces.

Silver's whiteness sits oddly with that ferocity. The metal is bright, her face is dark, and the piece ends up attractive in a way that should not work — like a lamp lit on an offering table. Worn long, the silver dulls, the recessed lines go blacker, and the features read more clearly than when it was new. To bring the shine back, polish with a silver cloth in one direction. Do not circle over the face: wear the high points flat and the whole structure of the face sags. The cloth carries polishing compound, so wash your hands afterwards.

The plaque is not large. On a collarbone chain it sits above the chest and holds the line of a shirt collar. Against dark clothing the silver jumps out; against white the outline softens; people choose both. Either face can be worn outward — turn it before you leave the house and it is a different piece, which is the point of a double-sided plaque properly used. Keep the chain fine. A heavy chain on a plaque this size looks top-heavy.

My own view is that an image like this does not need to be asked for favours. Having it in front of you, reminding you that there are accounts to collect today and customers to receive, is enough. The silver ages, the image ages, and a thing that has aged looks as though it has always been there. Some people buy it for a friend in business; I think it is a better gift than cigarettes and liquor, if only because it lasts. It does not pick a gender either — it looks fine on a man, with a thicker cord.