S925 Silver Jadeite Buddha Pendant

In a temple the first thing you see of Maitreya is the belly. The figure with the protruding stomach and the permanent smile goes back to the Cloth Bag Monk of the Five Dynasties, whose dharma name was Qici; he carried a cloth bag wherever he went and left a verse at his death, and later generations took him for an emanation of Maitreya. So the Buddha figure has its fixed points: a round belly, the corners of the mouth turned up, long earlobes, eyes narrowed to slits. Miss one and an old customer sees it at once. Some call it the Laughing Buddha; the name differs, the figure is the same.

This one is carved in jadeite. Jadeite is judged on grain and on how the colour is distributed. For a Buddha figure, a patch of off-colour on the face is the worst fault; markings on the belly do not matter, the face must be clean. In the carving, the belly takes the most material: the curve has to run smoothly from the chin all the way down to the navel with no step in it — a step means the tool did not follow the form. Look at the fingers too. Five separated fingers are rare; most are carved together with a few shallow grooves, and the grooves must be of even depth.

The silver is a bezel, wrapping the edge of the stone. The bezel has to sit tight; a wide gap holds dirt and catches cloth when the pendant goes on and off. S925's ductility lets it be pressed very thin without splitting, which is where it beats alloy. There is usually an opening at the back to let light in — that is what keeps the green alive; seal the back and the face goes dull. Three or four claws are usual; more than that and they begin to cover the stone. A fine line is pressed along the rim of the bezel to close it. That line has to be pressed all the way down. If it is not, the stone works loose.

Cord or chain, either works. Cord is the more casual choice — cotton, waxed cord, both fine — in dark brown or dark green, which sets off the green. With a chain, silver matches the silver bezel, so you do not get two whites arguing with each other. The pendant has weight, so do not choose too fine a chain; a fine wave chain stretches over time. With cord, leave a little slack at the knot: in summer, with more sweat, cord swells.

Jadeite does not need oil, and does not need soaking; those notions can be listened to and left there. What it fears is dropping, knocking, and sudden changes of temperature. Against skin it is fine — the body's oil actually makes it look moister. When you are not wearing it, wrap it in a soft cloth and keep it on its own rather than rolling around a box with other jewellery. The belly on this one stands high, so face-down is the worst position; lay it on its side. Worn against the chest in summer it collects sweat; rinse the back of the setting under clean water at night, dry it, and put it away.