White Copper Nine-Syllable Mantra Pendant

Six options, and the first thing to sort out is lettered version against patterned version. The lettered one cuts the nine characters outright, every stroke legible and readable. The patterned one distorts them, joins them and stacks them into a single design, so from a distance it is an abstract pattern and only up close do the characters come apart. Both have their followers: take the lettered version if you want to read it, the patterned one if you want the look, and neither is the better choice. The lettered version has one further advantage: a mistake in the characters is visible at a glance.

The nine syllables were not used in Daoism for recitation alone. People entering the mountains said them, and so did people walking at night, for protection at the moment it was needed; some pair them with hand signs, one sign to a syllable. Cutting them on a plaque to carry fixes that use in place of the body: visible, and easy to remember. Whether they work is a question on which accounts differ, and I make no promise about it; the piece itself is made solidly. The back is left blank so you can have it engraved, though decide on the wording before you do.

Brass and white copper differ in tone and in the direction they oxidise. Brass is warm and ages toward brown, and looks settled against dark clothing. White copper is cool and ages toward grey, and looks fresh against light clothing. The fill in the cuts behaves differently on the two grounds. Black on brass gives little contrast, so the characters seem to float. Black on white copper gives strong contrast, so the characters seem cut in. Decide which effect you want before choosing.

Chain or no chain is a question of whether you want to do the assembly. With a chain, the chain and plaque arrive together, the clasp already threaded, and it can be worn out of the box. Without one, you have the plaque and have to find a cord. The hole at the top is not large and a thick cord will not pass, so measure the cord before buying. Red or black both hold this plaque down; red is livelier, black steadier. Match chain length to the size of the plaque: a large plaque on a short chain will sit against the throat.

Nine characters crowded onto one plaque leave very little space between strokes, and dust lodges there. Do not clean with a needle. Use a soft toothbrush dry, and blow the dust away afterwards. The face is flat, and a fall leaves a crease, with a thread of copper lifted along its edge that catches the finger; take it down gently with fine abrasive paper. A white copper plaque does not mind being worn. What it minds is sharing a pocket with keys.